What Blood Type Are Filipinos?/what About Moving To A Territory?

[Mr Lee]

Recent requests for blood have got my head spinning, don't Filipinos also have the same blood type as most of us? If so why can't we pay to get locals to donate blood. I ask this question in all seriousness because if no Filipino has the same blood types as us, then don't we need to set up some type of blood system of our own to prevent some of us from dying in an emergency? and no I am not talking about forums or SOS since it seems no one has replied to one members wife to even try to help her, and in some emergencies even hours could mean life and death. And if not, then what the hell are we doing in the Philippines in the first place and especially as we get older since emergencies are more likely to happen, and do happen? And don't tell me the women because we can go for a short time and meet a good woman and then live there for a while with her to see if she is in fact a good woman and then bring her back to our own countries, or even some of our territories where others of our type live, and it is usually still less expensive to live there. I seem to remember one member of another forum who did just that but I do not remember the name of the US territory they moved to and I know some other countries also have territories, has anyone ever looked into those territories?

[MikeB]

I'm not sure I understand your point, we can pay locals to donate and that is exactly what I had to do before I got some response from the forums. There are people hanging around Red Cross 24 hrs a day trying to sell blood, some are outright thieves and will take your money and disappear. That's why these requests are so critical. The situation here is disgraceful but that's the way it is and, unfortunately, a lot of the expats are older and taking medicines or are excluded from giving for some other reason, eg, I can't donate because I had surgery w/transfusions within a year. In my case, out of the 5 expats who actually came to donate only 1 was accepted, a younger guy, and it was used as replacement. Also, the soldiers at Camp Lapu Lapu in Lahug donate blood every couple of months, the hospitals know this.

[Mr Lee]

My point is simple, in a country where it is possible that few might qualify or wish to donate blood when needed, maybe we all need to set up a network of our own. I have already suggested to Tom to set up a separate section of the forum where members who live in different areas and are able to donate blood can post their blood type and area, but I suspect few might post in it, yet if they do, less time would be needed when a person needs immediate help. It might also be a good idea to set up a network of Filipinos who might have the same type of blood or be a universal donor type blood, since O is supposed to be the universal donor.Many of you choose to live in a country where little immediate help may be available in an emergency. In your case, it was good that there was enough time but with each blood transfusion from strangers in a 3rd world country comes extra risk than there might be in the countries we came from, so what is the answer, I have no idea but something needs to be set up so our wives do not have to end up in a tizzy while trying to help find blood. I am glad you were able to get the help you needed before it was too late.

[MikeB]

Maybe there is an "extra risk" from donated blood here but I would like a medical opinion on that. I was told that the blood is screened very carefully. In my case there was no time to put out an SOS when it was really needed, it was already on hand otherwise I would have died. Gives the phrase, "out of stock, sir" a whole new meaning.

[Mr Lee]

I just got another option in an email reply from a friend. I have no idea if it will work or help or not but maybe Bruce or someone else who knows can comment. And is it even available in Cebu? http://www.watchtower.org/e/hb/article_03.htmVolume replacement can be accomplished without using whole blood or blood plasma.* Various nonblood fluids are effective volume expanders. The simplest is saline (salt) solution, which is both inexpensive and compatible with our blood. There are also fluids with special properties, such as dextran, Haemaccel, and lactated Ringer's solution. Hetastarch (HES) is a newer volume expander, and "it can be safely recommended for those [burn] patients who object to blood products." (Journal of Burn Care & Rehabilitation, January/February 1989) Such fluids have definite advantages. "Crystalloid solutions [such as normal saline and lactated Ringer's solution], Dextran and HES are relatively nontoxic and inexpensive, readily available, can be stored at room temperature, require no compatibility testing and are free of the risk of transfusion-transmitted disease." —Blood Transfusion Therapy —A Physician's Handbook, 1989.

[Mr Lee]

Maybe there is an "extra risk" from donated blood here but I would like a medical opinion on that. I was told that the blood is screened very carefully. In my case there was no time to put out an SOS when it was really needed, it was already on hand otherwise I would have died. Gives the phrase, "out of stock, sir" a whole new meaning.

20% is one in five, pretty bad odds if a person testing the blood happens to be lazy that day or preoccupied texting at the moment.Safety scare in donated blood in the Philippines April 5, 2011The Philippines Department for Health has reported that, in tests performed recently, more than 20% of the samples of blood it received in blood donations tested positive for HIV. This information comes after the recent news of a patient that was recently transfused having been infected with the virus. Worryingly, the Department of Health has stated that in the recent tests only 67 samples were analysed.Prevention of infection from HIV is a major motivation for engineering blood components.Also while this study appears to be from 2004, not a lot changes seem to come about quickly in the Philippines, and with little money for test equipment etc, and a brain drain of quality people running as fast as they can to get out of the Philippines, lets just leave it up to the imagination. For me it is not a hard conclusion to draw from seeing daily life and how things are usually done in the Philippines and how workers will usually cut every possible corner.Blood Safety 2.4 Low status of blood banksIn Pacific island countries, hospital-based blood banks usually have a low status withinlaboratories and are usually run by a laboratory technologist, who is often inappropriatelytrained and inadequately supervised.2.5 Inadequate coverage of blood screeningAll countries in the Region have policies to screen donated blood for HIV and HBVand half have a policy to screen for HCV. However, coverage of all blood units in the countryand the sustainability of screening depend on the availability of testing reagents. Becausesome blood services have not achieved full coverage, in rural areas or in emergencies bloodtransfusion sometimes has to take place with blood that not been tested at all.2.6 Lack of quality controlMany countries consider quality control to be less an essential component of routinework than a luxury that adds costs to under-resourced blood banks. A lack of qualityassurance measures (including manuals of standard operating procedures, appropriate trainingand competency certification programmes, and continuous assessment systems) often hindersthe implementation of good laboratory and manufacturing practices.Then from HERE .