ILOILO – Blood donors are vital to the lives of those who are in need of blood such as dengue patients.
This is why the Provincial Health Office (PHO) is appealing for blood donors in today’s bloodletting of the provincial government at the Social Grand Hall of Casa Real de Iloilo. “Everybody is invited to donate,” said Dr. Maria Socorro Colmenares-Quiñon of the PHO.
Some dengue patients need blood transfusion for very low platelet count.
While today’s bloodletting is a whole blood donation, each unit of whole blood is normally separated into several components.
Red blood cells may be stored under refrigeration for a maximum of 42 days depending on the anti-coagulant-preservative or additive used in the blood bag, or they may be frozen for up to 10 years. Red cells carry oxygen and are used to treat anemia.
Platelets are important in the control of bleeding and are generally used in patients with leukemia and other forms of cancer.
Platelets are stored at room temperature and may be kept for a maximum of five days.
Fresh frozen plasma, used to control bleeding due to low levels of some clotting factors, is made from fresh plasma and may be stored frozen up to one year.
Granulocytes are sometimes used to fight infections, although their efficacy is not well established. They must be transfused within 24 hours of donation.
Other products from blood include albumin, immune globulin, specific immune globulins, and clotting factor concentrates.
While today’s bloodletting in cooperation with the Philippine Red Cross is primarily sponsored by the Association of Iloilo Provincial Government Employees (AIPGE), Quiñon said everybody is welcome to donate.
“Ma-accept kita walk-in,” she stressed.
Donors must meet the following criteria:
* 18 to 65 years old
* weigh at least 115lb or 52.5kg
* with no major or minor surgery or procedure within the year
* no medicine or alcohol intake for at least 24 hours prior to donation
* no smoking activities for at least four hours prior to blood extraction
* have at least five hours of sleep prior to donation
At the bloodletting venue, the donor will be asked to lie down for blood collection which will be done by a skilled phlebotomist. This will take between 10 to 15 minutes.
The amount of blood which will be taken will be determined by a physician. It will depend mainly on the donor’s body weight and does not exceed 450 ml.
The entire donation process, from registration to post-donation refreshments, will take one hour at the most.
After the blood extraction, the donor will be advised to rest for 10 minutes or more.
From Jan. 1 t July 6, PHO recorded 5,435 dengue cases, higher than the Department of Health data of 5,327 cases. Both offices, however, had a similar number of dengue fatalities recorded – 20.
What should one do after donating blood? Red Cross has the following advice:
* Drink plenty of fluid, like water or juice.
* Refrain from stooping down after blood donation.
* Refrain from strenuous activities like lifting heavy objects, driving big vehicles such as bus, trucks, etc., or operating big machines.
* Avoid using the punctured arm in lifting heavy objects.
* Apply pressure on the punctured site and lift the arm in case the site is still bleeding.
* If there is discoloration and swelling on the punctured site, you may apply cold compress for 24 hours.
* If there is dizziness, just lie down with your feet elevated. Drink plenty of juice; and in just a few minutes or so, it will pass.
The 10 municipalities with the most number of dengue cases were the following:
* Pototan – 492 cases with three deaths
* Passi City – 398 cases with one death
* Concepcion – 315 cases with four deaths
* Sara – 309 cases with one death
* Calinog – 262 cases
* Ajuy – 249 cases
* Cabatuan – 204 cases with one death
* Janiuay – 187 cases
* Lambunao – 178 cases with one death
* Santa Barbara – 177 cases with one death
The other deaths were from Pavia (two from 139 cases), Dueñas (one from 122 cases), Banate (two from 113 cases), New Lucena (one from 110 cases), and Bingawan (two from 110 cases).
Over the weekend, there were two reported new deaths in Maasin./PN
