NHS calls for more black people to donate blood

bmj;381/may17_7/p1113/FAF1faNHS Blood and Transplant/PAThe NHS has issued an urgent call for more black people to become blood donors, as record amounts of blood are now needed to treat people with sickle cell disease. The disease is particularly common in people of African or Caribbean heritage, and NHS Blood and Transplant has said that every day 250 donations are needed to treat patients with sickle cell, the fastest growing genetic condition in the UK. Oyesola Oni (pictured), from Nottingham, needs all her blood replaced by donors every five weeks.Over 55% of black people in the UK have the Ro blood subtype needed by sickle cell patients, which compares with 2% in the general population, but black people make up only 1% of regular donors in England.
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