A Preliminary Study of Blood Groups among Students in Bayelsa State

Abstract

Ensuring the availability of safe blood products is an essential public health responsibility. However, myths/fear associated with blood donation in Nigeria has been an uphill task for the health sector in developing reliable and standard blood banks. The aim of the study is to seek for methods to improve recruitment and retention of adequate, voluntary, non-renumerated safe blood donors within the Niger Delta region. This is a prospective study in which the ABO and Rhesus blood group systems were determined for a cross section of students in the Niger Delta University, Amassoma, Bayelsa state. A total of 72 (47.2% males and 52.8% females) students were analyzed. Results showed that 52.8%, 2.8%, 20.8%, 3.8%, 4.2% and 5.6% had blood group O⁺, O^-, A^-, B⁺, B^- and AB⁺ respectively. None had the AB- blood group. 93.1% subjects were Rhesus positive and 6.9% were Rhesus negative. The findings were similar to findings in other parts of Africa, but different from Caucasian values. The predominant O⁺ blood group showed that the student population could be a good source and that the health system could harness it to ensure a readily available supply of blood for blood banks in the Niger Delta region.

Key words: Voluntary Blood donation, predominant Blood group, education, Niger Delta region