Blood donors’ origin asked to find rare blood groups
Blood Service is looking for more donors of rare blood groups to ensure that blood products are available for all patients. Therefore, blood donors will be asked about their origin starting from January 13, 2025.
For most patients, blood products can be given according to the ABO blood groups. However, there are variations in people’s red blood cells, and in addition to the usual ABO blood groups, over 350 rare blood groups are known. A blood group is classified as rare when its prevalence in the population is 1:1,000 or less.
“Patients are primarily given blood from their own blood group to avoid the formation of antibodies in the body,” says Dr. Janina Forstén from Blood Service. “Since there are many more people with foreign backgrounds in Finland than before, more donors of rare blood groups are also needed.”
Parents’ country of birth asked from January 13, 2025
Blood donors will be asked about their parents’ country of birth starting from January 13, 2025. Answering the question is voluntary and it is asked only once.
“The more individual blood donors there are, and the more diverse their geographical backgrounds, the better the chances of finding a suitable donor for each patient,” says Forstén.
Blood Service performs more detailed blood group determinations for some donors. When the donors’ origin is known, these determinations can be targeted so that rare blood groups related to different genetic backgrounds are more easily found.
Blood donation can be done in three languages, also via the app
Blood donation can be done in Finnish, Swedish, or English.
The blood donor’s mobile app has just been released in Swedish and English. In the app, blood donors can see their own donation information, book a donation appointment, and complete the health questionnaire required for blood donation in advance. The app, released in 2023, already has over 75,000 users in Finland. The expansion of the service to different languages makes the app accessible to even more blood donors.
The free service phone for blood donors also serves in three languages at number 0800 0 5801.
