No, no urgent need for donors at the moment but ...
I went in with my wife to see our obstetrician yesterday and, when I told the doctor I was AB-negative, he almost went white himself. Not because my wife (who is Thai) is O-positive, but because my blood-type, while rare in Farang-land (about 1%) is almost unheard of in Asia. In fact, almost all East Asians, according to the doctor, have POSITIVE RH factors. The number of people with AB-Negative blood in Thailand is not 1% of the population, but closer to 1% of the Farang population ... who rarely give blood.
Though he didn't come out and say it, he gave me the impression that the Thai Red Cross doesn't bank AB- blood "because no one ever needs it". He told me that there was "a club" in Bangkok for AB-Negative people who bank their blood, and keep a central database of contact info in case of an urgent need. He also said that I could find this club/group on the internet ... which naturally I can't. Does anyone know of such a group and how to get in touch with them?
And if there isn't such a group, maybe we should start one.
FYI: AB-Neg is the rarest of the 8 basic human blood types, but if you're B-, A-, or O-, you've still got a potential problem in Thailand. B- is about 2% of the Farang population here, while A- and O- are 6% each. The good news (for everyone but the O's) is you can also receive 1 or more other blood-types besides your own:
Patients with Type O- can receive Type O- only
Patients with Type A- can receive Type O- and A-
Patients with Type B- can receive Type O- and B-
Patients with Type AB- can receive Type O-, A-, B-, and AB-


LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks





Bookmarks