Red Cross issues urgent call for type-O blood donations

Do you have Type-O blood?

The rest of Australia needs you!

The Red Cross Blood Service is asking Aussies with type-O blood to roll up their sleeves and donate with supplies running dangerously low ahead of winter.

Blood donations usually drop in winter with about 1,000 people a week cancelling their appointments due to cold and flu-like symptoms that prevent them from donating.

With so many of us falling victim to the sniffles once the weather starts cooling, it’s difficult for the Red Cross to keep supplies flowing.

Type-O blood is universal and therefore the most required type in hospitals around the country. But levels are currently at a critically low level.

“We often experience high demand for O Negative as it is commonly used in emergency situations,” Australian Red Cross Blood Service spokesman Shaun Inguanzo told Starts at 60.

“We know there are many people out there who are eligible, but are yet to donate, or haven’t given for some time.

“We would love them to come forward and give the most amazing gift.”

About 39 per cent of Australians are O Positive, making their blood highly valuable.

“With one in three of us needing donated blood in our lifetime the life you save could be that of friend or family member,” Inguanzo said.

The organisation says it needs at least 8,000 people to donate between 22nd May and Friday 2 June to keep stocks up for winter.

Visit donateblood.com.au to find your nearest donation centre.

Have you ever donated blood? Do you know your blood type?