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Steady increase seen in cord blood collection

The Dubai Cord Blood and Research Centre has collected more than 3,000 units of cord blood, said a top DHA official.

Head of Education and Development Unit at DCRC Fatma Al Hashimi said: “Since the inception of this centre in 2006, we have seen a steady increase in the awareness levels among the public about cord blood banking and this has directly been attributed to an increase in the number of people who save their cord blood at our cord blood bank.

“The cord blood is a form of health insurance and is saved for potential medical procedures including leukaemia and treatment of genetic disorders such as thalassemia. Presently, more than 80 diseases can be cured with the help of stem cells and therefore the culture of cord blood collection and storage is catching on.”

She added that of the 3,000 units collected, five were released for patients who needed them for life-saving transplants.

Of these units used for successful transplantation, one of them was used for a five year old girl, who suffered from Thalassemia.

The cord blood collected at the time of birth of her younger brother proved to be a match and in 2012 she went to the UK for a transplant: “Today she is free of Thalassemia. Prior to this procedure, she had to undergo regular blood transfusions,” saidAl Hashimi.

She added that in 2012, since the establishment of the education department at DCRC, more than 700 units were collected, which is almost double the number of units collected in 2011.

“This shows the direct impact of health education,” said Hashimi. “Today, mothers are aware of the benefit this simple procedure has and they understand that it is a form of health insurance for their families, which is why we are seeing a steady rise in the number of women who opt for cord blood collection at the time of birth.”

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