'Urgent appeal' for blood donations after transfusion service warns of critically low stocks
Current supplies for O negative and B negative blood types are hovering at just three days worth, while O positive (the most common blood group in Ireland) is at only 2.5 days supply.
The IBTS generally maintains a rolling seven-day supply across all blood groups to meet hospital needs.
Paul McKinney, Director of donor services and logistics, said the situation is 'causing concern,' particularly given the high demand for blood following the Easter and May Bank Holidays and the impact of sustained good weather on clinic attendance.
'We need to boost our collections by 500 donations per week across all blood groups to meet consistently high demand,' McKinney said.
'The start of the summer holiday travel period has also reduced donor availability, which is why we're asking people to act now.'
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To help manage the shortage, a stock management alert letter was issued to hospitals on 13 May, instructing them to restrict blood use and reduce on-site stock levels.
The IBTS warned that if supply levels fall further, it may be forced to issue an 'amber alert' – a formal escalation in the blood shortage plan that would likely impact elective surgeries requiring transfusions.
The IBTS is calling on regular donors, especially in Dublin and Cork, to make an extra effort to attend local clinics.
The service is also appealing for greater donor diversity to improve patient outcomes.
'We particularly encourage new donors of African heritage to join the national blood donor panel,' said McKinney.
'This will help us diversify the donor base and improve blood type matches for patients in need.'
Anyone interested in donating can check their eligibility and make an appointment at
giveblood.ie
or call 1800 731 137.
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Irish Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Woman put fatigue and anxiety down to natural condition - the reality was worse
A woman who was initially told her anxiety and fatigue were perimenopause was diagnosed with a brain tumour after falling ill on holiday in Ireland. Sarah Hitchman, 43, had been struggling with headaches, jaw pain, anxiety, double vision and extreme tiredness for months. Doctors initially believed her symptoms were due to Eustachian tube dysfunction - where the tube is blocked and causes dull hearing - or the effects of perimenopause. But the special educational needs coordinator was later told she had a 5cm meningioma - a type of brain tumour - after having a seizure while visiting family in Ireland earlier this year. Sarah said: "I honestly thought I was experiencing anxiety from perimenopause, even the dentist thought I was just grinding my teeth when I had jaw pain. I had no idea it was something so serious. I left home for Easter and returned to someone else's horror story." Sarah flew to Ireland with her husband Brian on April 15, 2025, to visit her brother, Michael, before suffering a tonic-clonic seizure - where you become unconscious, your muscles get stiff and your body jerks and shakes. She said: "My husband, Brian, and I were only 20 minutes away from my brother Michael's house when I suddenly started to feel sick. I thought it was travel sickness, until my mouth locked open, my chin started shaking, and I heard a loud banging in my ears. Then I blacked out." Sarah, from Bognor Regis, West Sussex, was rushed to Bantry General Hospital in Cork - where doctors carried out a CT scan. The results showed a large mass on her brain. Rather than begin treatment overseas, she was advised not to fly and returned home via car. Once back in the UK, Sarah was taken to St Richard's Hospital in Chichester where another CT scan confirmed the tumour. She was then referred immediately to Southampton General Hospital in Hampshire for urgent neurosurgical assessment. Sarah said: "I knew it wasn't looking good because, after my CT scan at St Richard's Hospital, they immediately called the neurology department at Southampton General Hospital, and I was told I needed to see the surgeon the next day. That was the longest night of my life." Doctors told her surgery was the only option but it came with serious risks - including loss of mobility, eyesight or even a stroke. Sarah said: "I cried, I just couldn't process what he was saying, and I was scared. It was terrifying. My mind went to the darkest places. I worried about telling people, how they'd react, and when I did share the news, it felt like people were visiting to say goodbye." She underwent life-saving brain surgery on April 29 at Southampton General Hospital, where surgeons were able to remove the tumour successfully. Sarah returned home just two days later. Recovery was difficult - Sarah's eye swelled shut and she developed vertical double vision. She also faced overwhelming emotions from the trauma and shock of her ordeal. She said: "People keep telling me that I was strong and brave. But honestly, I didn't feel that way. Everything happened so fast, I just did what I was told. I didn't have time to be brave, I didn't have a choice and just wanted to survive." Now preparing to return to work, Sarah has raised more than £820 (€945) taking part in Brain Tumour Research's '88 Squats a Day Challenge' - which represents the £2,740 (€3,160) needed to fund a research day at one of the charity's 'Centres of Excellence'. She said: "My confidence has returned, and I feel proud about the amount I have raised. I am incredibly lucky. It was a horrendous time, but now I have a second chance to move forward, create a new normal, and raise awareness so others don't face the same uncertainty I did. We need more research, more support, and more hope." Letty Greenfield, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: "Sarah's story highlights just how easily the early signs of a brain tumour can be missed. "Her strength through this traumatic journey is inspiring, and we're incredibly grateful for her support." Sarah had been struggling with headaches, jaw pain, anxiety, double vision and extreme tiredness for months 1 of 7 Doctors initially believed her symptoms were due to Eustachian tube dysfunction 2 of 7 The special educational needs coordinator was later told she had a 5cm meningioma - a type of brain tumour 3 of 7 The diagnosis came to light after suffering a seizure while visiting her brother in Ireland 4 of 7
The Journal
4 days ago
- The Journal
There's a lot of chat right now about quitting hormonal contraception. What's going on?
'BEST DECISION EVER. I love knowing my body is just doing what it needs to do naturally.' 'I'm off the pill now about three years and I felt that cloud lift and everything is so much clearer.' 'Took my [contraceptive implant] bar out after 10 years and I've never looked back.' When social media content creator Clóda Scanlon posted on Instagram late last year about her decision to come off hormonal contraception, she received many public and private messages of support from other women who had done the same. It's almost three years since Ireland's free contraception scheme was launched. At a time when contraception is more accessible than ever, some young women are increasingly wary of artificial hormones' effects. Some are opting out. Up-to-date Irish data on uptake of prescription and hormonal contraception is not currently available. However, there are clues that a backlash against hormonal contraception – the pill, the patch, the implant and most intrauterine coils – may be under way. The full implications of that in Ireland are not yet clear. International data suggests an emerging trend in developed countries. Analysis for the UNFPA, the UN's sexual and reproductive health agency, found hormonal contraception use on the increase in only one of nine European and North American countries for which recent data was available. In six it was declining. Doctors working in women's health in Ireland told The Journal that despite the availability of free contraception, they still meet women who do not plan to go on it, or who are concerned about effects they have experienced while taking it. For Scanlon and other women in their 20s who spoke to The Journal about their decision to come off hormonal contraception, the growing conversation among women about side effects and alternatives is a logical continuation of the empowerment of women that contraception itself brought, 40 years after it was fully legalised in Ireland in 1985. 'The conversations are changing,' Scanlon said. 'Female health is really, really becoming a topic of conversation – and thank god, it's about time.' Ciara McCarthy, a Cork GP who is the clinical lead for women's health at the HSE and Irish Council of General Practitioners, said: 'It is certainly a conversation that seems to be happening now.' She suggests two factors may be at play. First, there's what women are seeing online, some of which, on TikTok in particular, she characterises, as misinformation and disinformation. Secondly, there's the reality that some women are more sensitive than others to the side effects of hormonal contraception. Other doctors who spoke to The Journal made the same inferences. The UNFPA said it can't draw definitive conclusions about the influence of online content on the apparent decline in uptake of hormonal contraception in some countries, but it said this has been raised with it anecdotally. 'Cost is not a factor' Shirley McQuaid, medical director of the Well Woman Centre in Dublin, said there is 'definitely a move away from hormonal contraception', evidenced by a surge in the popularity of the copper (non-hormonal) intrauterine coil. A decade ago, this was an unusual choice among women attending the Well Woman Centre, which specialises in family planning and sexual health but its popularity has steadily increased. This increase has happened despite the fact that the copper coil was not reimbursable on the free scheme until early 2023. The full cost of consultation, fitting and the device itself is almost €300. Copper coils as a percentage of all intrauterine contraception fitted at the Well Woman centre 2005-2022: there has been a steady increase. Well Woman Centre Well Woman Centre The copper coil is not a universally suitable or attractive alternative to hormonal contraception, however. It can cause longer and heavier periods. McQuaid said that she is seeing sexually active women 'every day' who don't want to get pregnant but aren't taking contraception. Was that always the case, say 10 or 15 years ago? 'It was, but I had always thought it was related to the fact that access to contraception wasn't freely available,' McQuaid said. 'I had always assumed that cost was a factor. But there is still an issue, even though cost is not a factor. Now, some people just say they don't want to get pregnant but they don't actively do anything to prevent it.' Side effects No-one disputes the fact that hormonal contraception can cause side effects. However, some side effects may not be officially recognised. For example, the NHS website states that there is not enough evidence to show that headaches, nausea, mood swings, weight gain, sore breasts or acne are caused by hormonal contraception. This will seem bizarre to many women, who have either experienced one or more of these side effects themselves, or whose friends have. McCarthy, of the ICGP and HSE, said contraceptive care needs to be very carefully individualised. 'We can look at the guidelines, where they'll say there's insufficient evidence that such and such causes mood changes or weight gain, and on a population level that may be true. But on an individual level, women can experience significant side effects and some women are more sensitive than others,' McCarthy said. Psychologists in UCC interviewed 11 Irish women about their experience on the pill. They found that while the women felt more in control of their fertility, they experienced both physical and mental side effects. The women did not feel this experience was taken seriously by doctors. Caitríona Henchion, medical director of the Irish Family Planning Association, agreed with McCarthy that hormonal contraception 'does not suit everyone' and some people seem to be more sensitive to negative effects. These are usually associated with progestogens – synthetic forms of progesterone. 'However, the majority, who are likely to have little or no adverse effects, are being frightened off even trying it,' Henchion warned. 'Many fears are based on totally false claims made, usually on social media.' Advertisement Dr Caitríona Henchion Andres Poveda Andres Poveda She said hormonal contraception is not only an effective way of avoiding unintended pregnancy but can also reduce period pain and cause lighter bleeding, and significantly reduce the risk of developing ovarian cancer. Doctors say that if women have a poor experience on one pill – for instance, low mood, associated with progesterone, or breast tenderness, associated with oestrogen – trying another pill or form of composition is likely to help. 'Oftentimes, women won't have an issue with the second pill they try,' said McQuaid, of the Well Women Centre. However, women The Journal interviewed about their decision to discontinue hormonal contraception spoke unhappily of being automatically told by doctors to try a different pill or form of contraception when they raised concerns. They said they didn't like the idea of taking artificial hormones, and they found it easier to understand their own mood and feelings when they were able to track their normal menstrual cycle (most hormonal contraception other than the hormonal coil prevents ovulation). There seems to be a sense in which women are further alienated from hormonal contraception when they feel the health system is not listening to their concerns about it. Trainee clinical psychologist Ailsa McGuinness, who led the UCC research on Irish women's experience of taking the pill, said that while the pill is physically safe, women feel that there is not enough research on or understanding of its mental health impact. She suggests the gap that has opened up between women's experience, which they share informally with each other, and official medical advice and messaging may be where the online 'wellness' industry has crept in with its alternative views on contraception. Frequently, in social media discussions of contraception, including among Irish women, someone will advocate using menstrual cycle-tracking apps such as Natural Cycles as a form of contraception. This particular app has been promoted as contraception by at least one Irish alternative health practitioner with a large social media following. Natural Cycles, which also encourages women to check their temperature to know where they are in their cycle, said it has a small Irish user base but is not actively marketing itself here. It claims to be 93% effective with typical use and 98% with perfect use, and claims to be 'just as effective' for women with an irregular cycle. Claims that cycle tracking can be over 90% effective in preventing pregnancy are not supported by Irish health authorities. Natural Cycles Natural Cycles In 2018, the British Advertising Standards Authority banned a Natural Cycle ad billing the product as a 'highly accurate' contraceptive tool, ruling that the claims made were misleading and the effectiveness of the app exaggerated. The Irish government's new sexual health strategy states that unplanned pregnancy rates for 'natural family planning methods' are estimated at 24-25%, and warns that there is a 'clear need' for more public information on cycle tracking as a form of contraception. Henchion, of the IFPA, said: 'I have met several women using period tracker apps for contraception. Unfortunately, the context in which I usually meet them is unintended pregnancy. 'If an unintended pregnancy would not be a crisis and if you have a very regular cycle, it is perfectly reasonable to use a tracker app instead of contraception. But the failure rate is significantly higher than with any modern contraceptive method. Even with a very regular cycle, ovulation may vary from one month to the next,' she said. Social media If there is an emerging trend of more women opting out of hormonal contraception, it seems very likely that social media is playing a role. Research analysing YouTube vlogs about hormonal contraception, for example, has found they are disproportionately about discontinuing it. One 2023 study , based on interviews with women, concluded that social media shapes their sense that there are hazards associated with the pill, shifting the perceived risk from questions around the reliability and basic safety of the drug to questions of individual physical and mental wellbeing. Young women interviewed by The Journal who have come off contraception were self-aware about this aspect of social media: they could see that it individualised discussion of hormonal contraception to particular women's experience – and they saw this as a positive. They viewed social media as playing an empowering role in enabling women to share their own experiences and decisions with others. Olwyn Hanley (29) was on various forms of hormonal contraception from age 17 to 24. She believes social media has given women both information and education. 'I feel like the generation before us were very accepting because they didn't have that access to information online. They thought, 'if the doctors say so, it must be right, and we'll just go by that'. I think we're very much a generation who asks questions,' Hanley said. Hanley said that being able to track her menstrual cycle and understand why her mood might be different at different times of the month has been beneficial. She is in a long-term relationship and uses condoms. There may be other factors at play, not least the other side of the story when it comes to pregnancy or avoiding it: men. One 26-year-old woman from Cork said her boyfriend has put no pressure on her to go back on contraception. They use condoms. 'I think the men in this generation are more educated,' she said. Clóda Scanlon, the 28-year-old whose Instagram video on her experience of coming off the contraceptive implant after 10 years received a warm response from other young women, said she has no plans to go back on. Like other women The Journal spoke to, she feels more in tune with her body now that she is tracking her normal menstrual cycle. 'My feelings have more clarity,' she said. 'There would have been times when I would have maybe struggled with my mental health, and I kind of wonder, would the [artificial] hormones have had an effect in some way, because I wasn't actually feeling my true emotions, my body wasn't taking its natural course?' she said. A clearer picture of what is happening in Ireland will soon emerge. The next Healthy Ireland Survey, to be published this year, will contain an update on contraceptive use, while the University of Galway will conduct a major survey for the HSE in 2027. McCarthy, of the ICGP and HSE, advises women who are going to a medical consultation about contraception to write out what they've been on before, how long they took it for and what issues they experienced, to help them to build as clear a picture as possible. To anyone experiencing side effects she says: 'Talk to your GP: they want to find a method that is going to be right for you.' Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
The Irish Sun
5 days ago
- The Irish Sun
How British children are MORE at risk from killer diseases than African nations we send £5bn foreign aid to
BRITISH children are more at risk from killer diseases than some poverty-stricken countries receiving taxpayer cash towards vaccine rollouts, The Sun on Sunday can reveal. NHS figures show that uptake here for the MMR jab, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella, has hit rock bottom. Advertisement 4 Uptake in Britain for the MMR jab has hit rock bottom Credit: Getty 4 In Hackney, East London, just 67.7 per cent have had their first shot of the measles vaccine by the age of two Credit: Darren Fletcher 4 The East African country of Eritrea boasts a 93 per cent rate for the first jab Credit: Getty In In the worst area, Hackney, East London, just 67.7 per cent have had their first shot by the age of two. Advertisement But official data for the East African country of Eritrea boasts a 93 per cent rate for the first jab. Dr Ben Kasstan-Dabush, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: 'The fact very poor African countries have significantly better childhood vaccination rates than the UK should be a wake-up call to the Government. 'To reverse this deadly UK trend, we need to design public health messages with affected communities to convey that measles is dangerous — not benign. Conspiracy theories 'We need catch-up campaigns and tailored outreach in hard-hit areas and under-vaccinated communities. And we need ongoing efforts to debunk misinformation.' Eritrea's measles and rubella jab rollout has been helped by more than £5billion in UK aid to Gavi, the global vaccine fund backed by tech billionaire Bill Gates, since it was founded in 2000. Advertisement In 2023 and 2024 Gavi spent £1million on a vaccination drive in Eritrea, where human rights abuses are such that Eritreans were the most common nationality crossing the Channel in small boats during the first three months of 2025. Rwanda, which received close to £1.5million from Gavi for its measles jabs rollout in 2024, has 93 per cent of children fully protected. And Kenya, which is to receive £9.4million from by 2026, has an 88 per cent rate for first doses. This month, the Foreign Office announced a further £1.25billion commitment to the Geneva-based organisation, which has given vaccines to more than a billion children in developing countries. Ireland's Chief Medical Officer urges MMR vaccine uptake after measles death Our revelations come as a measles epidemic spreads across the country. Last month a child died in Liverpool's Alder Hey Children's Hospital after becoming ill with measles and other health problems. Jonathan Grigg, professor of paediatric respiratory and environmental medicine at Queen Mary University, London, says the NHS needs to boost its vaccinations. Advertisement He said: 'It must be up to our health system to ensure all children are vaccinated against measles and to prevent deaths. Something has gone wrong where community vaccination rates are so low.' But experts said that one of the biggest issues is anti-vaccine conspiracy theories spreading across the internet. Professor Stephen Griffin, a virologist at the University of Leeds, said: 'There is a sinister, well-funded network of people spreading disinformation that exacerbates hesitancy and plays on insecurities. 'It is vital that we counter these movements with education about the risks of infectious disease.' Measles coverage in the UK is at a ten-year low and health chiefs are scrambling to catch up as cases rise. In 2024 there were 2,911 confirmed cases in Advertisement 4 Mum Kayla and her partner Craig, with one of their children Credit: supplied It led to the UK Health Security Agency declaring a national incident. The lowest vaccination coverage rates of five-year-olds who have had both MMR doses were found in London, with the borough of Hackney the worst at 60.8 per cent. In Manchester, the rate was 74.6 per cent, Birmingham had 74.8 per cent and Newcastle 85.2 per cent. The long-discredited link between the MMR vaccine and autism, first sparked by disgraced physician Andrew Wakefield in 1998, was once to blame for people turning away from the jabs. Then pandemic disruption, a lack of access to services and difficulty booking appointments, along with language and cultural barriers, became the problem. Advertisement Now it is social media. Helen Bedford, professor of child public health at Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, said parents want questions answered about the vaccine but don't know who to ask. She said: 'In the absence of an obvious source they look on social media. Although there are some good sources of information, there is a great deal of misinformation, some of which has been put there with the intention of misinforming.' I am not a negligent parent and blaming mums like me for the rise in measles outbreaks is simply stupid scaremongering. Anti-vaxxer Biba Tayna Thousands of TikTok clips and Facebook groups share bogus claims about the MMR vaccine, branding it 'unsafe' and 'ineffective' and saying doctors try to vaccinate children to make money. One viral Instagram video, which racked up more than 70,000 likes, claimed kids should be given vitamin A instead — despite high doses potentially being fatal. Mum-of-six Kayla Goodearl was horrified when two of her children, Esmae and Ronnie, broke out in 'angry red spots'. The 35-year-old from Strood, Kent, said: 'Ronnie was only nine months when he got it so he was too young for the jab. Advertisement 'Esmae, who is 11 months older, was on the waiting list. My older children had been vaccinated and were OK. But Ronnie and Esmae were very poorly. Some nights their temperatures skyrocketed. I was worried they'd have seizures. 'Measles outbreaks are on the rise — and it's down to unvaccinated children and their selfish parents. Unvaccinated kids are a danger to other kids.' But anti-vaxxer Biba Tayna, 44, from Clitheroe, Lancs, has refused the MMR jab for her two youngest children because she says her eldest son, now 20, had a bad reaction. She said: 'I won't let my daughters have the jab. They've had rashes and coughs combined with high temperatures. It likely was measles but I didn't take them to a doctor for diagnosis. 'They have their own natural immunity. I am not a negligent parent and blaming mums like me for the rise in measles outbreaks is simply stupid scaremongering. Advertisement 'My unvaccinated daughters are proof I am correct.' But Health Minister Ashley Dalton said the 'falling vaccination rate' is putting 'extra strain on our NHS' and added: 'It's vital that parents get their children jabbed. 'The NHS app makes it easier for people to understand which vaccines they need and book an appointment for themselves or their children.'
