IBTS launches 2001 Annual Report - 22,000 new donors in 2001

The Irish Blood Transfusion Service today (Tuesday) launched its 2001 Annual Report at the National Blood Centre, Dublin. Speaking at the launch, Acting CEO Andrew Kelly said that the priority of the IBTS was and continues to be the continuous supply of safe blood and blood products to patients in Irish hospitals. "In 2001, we had 22,056 new donors, offsetting the impact on the blood supply of permanently deferring donors who had lived in the UK for five years or more between 1980 and 1996.

"Last year a major initiative to recruit new donors, the first every Blood for Life Week was launched in September and was a tremendous success. Great strides have been made in 2001 to ensure that the people of Ireland have a transfusion service which guarantees the highest possible level of safety," said Mr Kelly.

National Medical Director, Doctor William Murphy said that the most important development in the IBTS throughout the year was the strategy adopted by the Board to reduce the risk that might exist of transmitting vCJD by transfusion.

"The IBTS adopted a number of far reaching measures to reduce the potential risk in 2001. These included the permanent deferral of donors who lived in the UK for a cumulative period of 5 years from 1980 to 1996, a programme to replace plasma for clinical use from Irish donors with plasma from volunteers outside the ‘BSE zone’ and a decision not to use plasma from Irish donors for the manufacture of blood products," said Dr Murphy.