The Irish Blood Transfusion Service has launched an urgent appeal for blood donations in order to stabilise the state’s supply.
The calls come after a spokesman for the organisation said they needed 1500 donations over the next 21 days.
They’re appealing for donors to come forward over the next number of weeks in a concerted effort to turn the situation around.
The service has issued an urgent appeal for donors for the major blood groups – O positive, O negative and A positive.
Blood levels, which are normally at seven days are now down to three days and under.
Director of operations at the service, Paul McKinney, says that it has been a difficult summer and they have noticed that attendance figures have slipped six per cent over the past six weeks.
He said that there has been a global decline in blood donations, and in Ireland the levels have dropped 21 per cent in ten years while the average age of donors has gone from 38 to 41.
“We’re now really challenged trying to get younger donors and to get people into the mindset of being regular donors,” Mr McKinney told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland.
“It’s always difficult for us during the summer, with haemoglobin levels low anyway, but with donors travelling and routines disrupted because of school breaks etc, this all adds to the problem.
“But over the past six weeks we’ve noticed that attendances have slipped six per cent and the hospital demand has remained constant, so accumulatively we have struggled to keep the levels to seven days.
“We are at a very low level today, that’s why we’re asking donors to come to our clinics over the next three weeks.”
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