Blood clinic attracts fewer donors

A total of 99 pints of blood were collected during the day-long clinic held last Friday at Victoria Hall, said Virginia Elliott, assistant community events coordinator for Westmount.

One hundred and thirteen units of blood were collected at the clinic in 2005. However, nearly a decade ago, more than 150 units were being gathered at the blood clinics.

"It was a very slow evening, curiously enough," said Elliott, noting that a surge in donors didn't take place as expected later in the day. "Usually we get more people in the evening. It was steady through the day, and in the evening it kind of slowed down."

Elliott said a higher incidence of malaria in certain parts of the world over the past few years may have contributed to the decline. Exposure to malaria is one of the factors Héma-Québec, the provincial blood agency, considers when evaluating potential donors.

"A lot of people were surprised that they couldn't give because they had gone into areas where malaria is a problem," she said. In one instance, six people had to be turned away.

Lansdowne Avenue resident Dr. Henry Olders, president of the Westmount Municipal Association, donated blood for the 25th time last Friday. In recognition, he received a gold pin from Héma-Québec.

"It's something that you do which benefits others," he said, adding that there can also be health benefits for male donors. "It's possible for men in particular to actually get too much iron … Some people believe that iron is actually what causes tissue damage in the case of a heart attack or a stroke."

Every year, Québec’s hospital centres use approximately 400,000 units of blood products to meet the needs of over 75,000 patients. Although the need for blood is constant, only three per cent of Quebecers who are eligible to give blood make donations to the collective blood supply managed for Quebec hospitals and their patients.

Héma-Québec must collect a minimum of 1,000 donations per day to meet Quebecers’ needs. To achieve this objective, the organization must welcome at least 1,250 people into blood donor clinics.

The donor qualification criteria that have been put into place ensure the safety of the blood supply. There is no danger of contracting a disease by donating blood. All of the materials used for collecting blood are new, sterile and destroyed after use.