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Increase in tattoos leads to dramatic drop in Aussie blood donations

Xinhua, August 17, 2016 Adjust font size:

An increase in the number of Australians getting tattoos has resulted in a significant reduction of blood donations.

The Australian Red Cross said there had been a 27- percent drop in blood donations in the 10 years until 2015, from 1.8 million donations in 2005 down to 1.3 million last year.

A spokesperson for the Australian Red Cross, headquartered in Melbourne, cited the rising number of Australians with tattoos as a factor in the downturn.

People with tattoos are not allowed to give blood for a period of time after receiving the tattoo, due to safety concerns.

"It's a temporary six-month ban if you have recently gotten a tattoo," the Australian Red Cross Blood Service's Shaun Inguanzo told radio station 3AW on Wednesday.

"That's due to the increased risk of infection as a result of getting a tattoo. The one we're most worried about is hepatitis C."

Red Cross Australia launched a national campaign on Tuesday to counter the loss of donors over the past 10 years.

As a part of the week-long campaign, the letters of the main blood groups, A, B and O will be omitted from various signs to raise awareness about the lack of blood donated in Australia.

"In Australia there is a particular need for 100,000 new donors this financial year to help service the growing need for plasma-based medicines that thousands of Australian patients depend on for quality of life," the Red Cross said in a statement on Tuesday.

In addition to the rise of tattoos, other factors such as Australians having less free time, not being aware of the need for blood donations and travelling to more exotic locations around the world contributed to the drop in donations. Endit