December 21, 2015
Staff, physicians and volunteers at LHSC’s Victoria Hospital recently had an opportunity to find out their blood type at a “What’s Your Type” event hosted by Canadian Blood Services (CBS) on Dec. 15.
With a simple finger prick, CBS staff are able to identify a person’s blood type. Knowing your blood type is important; it can prevent the risk of you receiving an incompatible blood type at a time of need such as during a blood transfusion or during surgery—it can also help others. People with O negative (O-) blood type are known as universal donors, which means their blood can be transfused to anyone in need. That’s why it’s always in high demand — it’s used in emergency situations when there is no time to test a patient’s blood type.
In Canada, here is the breakdown of blood type by percentage of the population:
A positive - 36%
A negative - 6%
B positive - 7.6%
B negative - 1.4%
AB positive - 2.5%
AB negative - 0.5%
O positive - 39%
O negative - 7%
To see what blood types can donate to other blood types, and what blood types are safe for them to receive, check out the interactive graphic on the Canadian Blood Services website.
This holiday season, please consider giving a gift that can’t be bought – give life and donate blood! There are hundreds of appointments that still need to be filled at the London permanent clinic (820 Wharncliffe Rd. S) until Dec. 31, so please book an appointment today by calling 1-888-2DONATE or at www.blood.ca.
