Are you of Polynesian, New Zealand Māori or Filipino descent?
A pregnant patient in Melbourne, Christina Patau, has a disease that is causing her immune system to attack the blood of her unborn baby, and she requires regular blood transfusions in the womb.
However, she has an extremely rare blood type. Because Christina’s blood type is so rare, hospitals are struggling to keep enough of it on hand.
The rare blood type is more common in specific demographics including Polynesian, New Zealand Māori and Filipino – and we also really need more of these people to come forward to donate blood.
Check out this Seven News segment for Christina's story - via Twitter:
Patients desperate for life-saving blood transfusions are being forced to wait because of a critical shortage of donations. A pregnant Melbourne woman is relying on a rare blood type to keep her unborn baby alive. https://t.co/5zYfOfGqUb @_kathleenoco #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/Je1mZIL4GR
— 7NEWS Melbourne (@7NewsMelbourne) March 26, 2022
Australia now has 15 donors, thanks to the pacific donor drive in 2021, however more are needed because of the requirement for regular transfusions.
We are encouraging people of Polynesian, New Zealand Māori or Filipino background (or have a parent with this background) to donate blood. If you can help, we’d love to see you soon. Simply book a donation, and register your ethnicity in your profile when booking a donation.
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