Ministry of Health & Wellness Intranet

Give Blood Today

KINGSTON, Jamaica. 30 October 2019. The Ministry of Health and Wellness is appealing to Jamaicans to donate blood, given the increased demand for blood products over recent months.

That demands has been driven, in part, by dengue infections.

“Platelets that are made from blood are needed by the body to help with clotting of the blood if there is bleeding. Platelets are usually affected in the patients who are diagnosed with a severe dengue infection,” explains Dr Alisha Tucker, Acting Director for the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS).

“If someone has a low platelet count because of a severe dengue infection, they will need platelets in order to help to prevent bleeding or to help stop bleeding if they are now having symptoms from the low platelet count,” she added.

The amount of platelets needed will depend on the size of the person.

“In an average day, in any one of the blood collection centres in Jamaica, an average of 5-10 donors will present and this is not enough to meet the increased demand,” Tucker said.

From the beginning of 2018 to present, a total of 6,525 suspected cases of dengue have been reported from across Jamaica – 1,057 for 2018 and 5,468 for 2019.