Filenews 20 May 2021 - by Despina Psyllaou
At a marginal point are the Blood Donation Centres, placing on the edge of the razor the sufferers of Mediterranean anaemia, patients in need of transfusions and all those who have planned surgeries or have had an accident. The situation is so serious that there are thoughts of postponing planned transfusions of thalassaemic patients.
As the Deputy Director of the Blood Centre of the Ministry of Health, Socrates Menelau, notes in "F", the pandemic has brought problems in blood donation and now due to the mass vaccinations of volunteers the flow is small. For his part, an appeal to the citizens was addressed through the "F" by the president of the Pancyprian Anti-Anaemic Association, Miltos Miltiadous.
"Throughout the pandemic we faced different kinds of problems. Sometimes because of lockdown, sometimes because of high rates of cases and hundreds of close contacts. During these 15 months the challenges were many and different," said the deputy director of the Blood Centre and added that at the moment the main problem is mass vaccinations of citizens. "There is a short period of exclusion after a vaccination, resulting in many thousands of blood donors being inactive. Even if they want to give blood, they can't. We expect that gradually and when a large part of the citizens are vaccinated, we will slowly – slowly – slowly return to normality."
The fixed blood donation needs in Cyprus are much higher than in other countries, Mr Menelaou said. "We have a large group of people who need transfusion every week. In addition, there are also needs in oncology and paediatric oncology wards, blood wards, scheduled surgeries, accidents. Potentially we are all candidates for transfusion." We're in a marginal situation, he said. "The flow is so low and if this continues, unfortunately stocks will decrease and problems will start. We need to save some blood for surgeries and accidents, which are not foreseen. Unfortunately, it's paid for by the seamen."
As he notes, Pfizer and Moderna vaccines must pass seven days after each dose. For AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines it must be 28 days after each dose. "It must be made clear that for all vaccines and not only for those of coronavirus, there is a period of exclusion. This period is different depending on the type of preparation. It has nothing to do with his performance, his quality, or his safety," he said, adding: "All those who have not yet been vaccinated or vaccinated and the containment period has passed, it is very important that they respond to our calls, because a large part of the population cannot give blood."
Thalessemics are sounding the alarm.
"We have been informed that due to the lack of blood in the centres, we will have a postponement of transfusions. We are calling for a dramatic call for no postponements," the president of the Pancyprian Anti-Anaemic Association, Miltos Miltiadous, told "F". In Cyprus, he said, there are 650 people with thalassemia who are in a transfusion program or are multitransfused individuals. "Transfusion is the main way of treatment," he says, clarifying that patients transfusion one to two bottles of blood every two weeks. However, the difficulties of finding blood donors has caused multiple problems.
"There is a risk of cancellation of planned operations and of course it also affects people with thalassemia too much, especially if their transfusions are postponed." As he explained, delaying a sea-blood transfusion means that the body's haemoglobin drops and the condition becomes very difficult. "The body's defences fall, to people who have several morbidities, while the pandemic lurks."
If the situation does not improve, says Mr Miltiadous, as an emergency solution sufferers of Mediterranean anaemia will receive one bottle of blood instead of two. "In this case, a person who was transferred every two weeks would need to be transfused every week. In other words, there is no real benefit. Nor can an extension be given, lowering the rate of transfusions in people with thalassaemia."
"I appeal to blood donors or potential blood donors to start coming in for blood donation. We are threatened with transfusion postponements," he said. "They are once again in the uncomfortable position of invoking the feelings of volunteering of our compatriots, on a particularly difficult occasion. In the last three years, it is the first time that we have been at the point of calling on people to increase their attendance at blood donation centres. It is one of the few times when the deferral scenario is a real threat."
