Little Zainab Mughal is just two years old, and has the rarest blood type on earth. Now, her parents are on a desperate hunt to find a donor with matching blood type as Zainab battles cancer.
OneBlood, a South Florida nonprofit organisation that’s aiding in a global search to identify and recruit donors for Zainab, says only people of Pakistani, Indian or Iranian descent have the same type of blood.
“We have a zero percent chance of finding compatible blood for this little girl if we look in any other ethnic group. We are searching the world to try to find blood for this little girl,” said Frieda Bright, a lab manager with OneBlood, in a video.
Zainab’s cancer, neuroblastoma, developed in her nerve cells and requires chemotherapy for treatment.
“She’s going to need to be completely supported by blood donations to survive the cancer treatment,” said Bright. “The blood’s not going to cure her, but the blood’s very, very important to support her while she undergoes the treatment.”
Zainab is a little girl with the rarest blood type on earth. Image: File photo.
What makes it the rarest blood type on earth?
A person’s blood type is determined by antigens. Zainab’s blood is missing an antigen called Indian B. This means her body will attack transfused blood that contains it. Like Zainab, her donors need to be missing the antigen. In addition, they must have type O or A blood. Such donors are extremely rare.
Rare blood occurs in less than one in a thousand people. Extremely rare blood can occur in even fewer people, according the American Rare Donor Program.
“Lucky, thank God, they have found three donors. So, so far, she has been going through her normal treatment,” said Zainab’s father, Raheel Mughal. “We will definitely need more blood.”
“If a person has been identified as a rare donor and they’re called on to give, my hope is that they will donate, if they are able,”said Sandra Nance, senior director of the American Rare Donor Program
Give if you can
Blood is a priceless life-saving gift that you can give | Image Source: Pixabay
In Singapore, stocks of blood type O fell to a low level last September. The amount of type O blood was about half of the required stockpile. This was reported by the Singapore Red Cross and Health Sciences Authority.
Furthermore, nearly half of patients in Singapore are from the type O blood group. They can only receive the same type of blood. Type O blood is also required for all patients, except pregnant ladies, during emergency situations when their blood groups are not known.
Whether you have the rarest blood type on earth or a more common blood type, do consider making a life-saving blood donation. Visit Bloodbank@HSA, Bloodbank@Dhoby Ghaut, Bloodbank@Woodlands and Bloodbank@Westgate Tower.
Also read: Complications following a blood transfusion
Source: OneBlood, CNN and Channel NewsAsia
Featured image: CNN screengrab