After receiving a bit of pushback about specific requests for blood from black donors, Give Blood NHS – the official blood service for England – took to Twitter to explain.
So, people keep asking – why do we need more black blood donors? Isn’t everyone’s blood the same? You’re racist! ISSA THREAD:
— GiveBlood NHS ???? (@GiveBloodNHS) November 7, 2017
They started by addressing some valid concerns.
Do black people have ‘special’ blood? Are we being racist? Is race a social construct? ???? Let’s break it down. pic.twitter.com/D6RFTj87rl
— GiveBlood NHS ???? (@GiveBloodNHS) November 7, 2017
And then they got into the facts.
First up – blood does the same thing for everyone’s body – it keeps you alive and saves lives. ISSA FACT! pic.twitter.com/ZStlKU7Oeh
— GiveBlood NHS ???? (@GiveBloodNHS) November 7, 2017
Not all blood is created equal.
Everyone’s blood IS NOT the same, so you can stop calling us racist. pic.twitter.com/PtRMQdYseG
— GiveBlood NHS ???? (@GiveBloodNHS) November 7, 2017
"Blood can have more than 30 different types of blood groups. You’ve all heard of ABO, right? That’s one blood group." The thread went on to say, "And you’ve heard of people being ‘positive’ or ‘negative’? That’s another blood group."
Blood groups are more or less common in different ethnic groups. So black people are more likely to have, say, B negative blood.
— GiveBlood NHS ???? (@GiveBloodNHS) November 7, 2017
"It’s not to say white or Asian people can’t be B negative, or that all black people are B negative," they said. "It just means people from the same ethnic background are more likely to have the same blood groups…and for blood transfusions to work, you need well-matched blood groups."
NOW this is where it gets really important, so please make sure to take notes and stop messing at the back. pic.twitter.com/sZLIQAEqJS
— GiveBlood NHS ???? (@GiveBloodNHS) November 7, 2017
Still with us?
Black people are more likely to have a rare subgroup called Ro. Ten times more likely than a white person. pic.twitter.com/1A6LIMXR5P
— GiveBlood NHS ???? (@GiveBloodNHS) November 7, 2017
Many people with sickle cell disease have Ro blood. pic.twitter.com/x6BxvohlWa
— GiveBlood NHS ???? (@GiveBloodNHS) November 7, 2017
"Many people with sickle cell disease need regular blood transfusions of healthy blood to stay alive," they said.
That means we need more Ro blood to help the growing number of patients with sickle cell disease.
— GiveBlood NHS ???? (@GiveBloodNHS) November 7, 2017
Hence the need for more black donors.
And black people are much more likely to have the Ro subgroup. pic.twitter.com/1UVowadZrY
— GiveBlood NHS ???? (@GiveBloodNHS) November 7, 2017
And there you have it, folks.
This (literally) gives me life.
— Thomorrow Wong (@7homwon6) November 7, 2017
