Search
  1. Home
  2. Southern Africa
  3. South Africa
  • News

Safe blood no longer a race issue

    JOHANNESBURG

    South Africa's Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has welcomed the country's new model to determine whether donated blood is safe from diseases such as HIV/AIDS, without using race as a factor.

    The system was developed after it became known that blood donations from black people were categorised as 'high risk' for infectious diseases.

    In the new method, donations by first-time donors will be used mainly for screening purposes, with their blood only being made available for transfusions after they have donated three times.

    According to the South African Broadcasting Corporation, the SAHRC chairman, Jody Kollapen, said the new model was a step in the right direction, as scientific methods rather than race should be used to determine risk.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join