Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

50 * 60 is 3000. Can 3000 donations really save millions of babies?



Probably not. It seems the antibodies from multiple donors are pooled, so each donation could contribute to saving lots of lives that way.

There's probably also some fun multiplication, as giving the antibodies to a mother protects her future pregnancies rather than the current pregnancy or the mother.


Austrailia has about 300,000 births a year, or 20 million in the last 60 years.

Seems unlikely that austrailia would have a 5% miscarriage rate if he hadn't donated blood. With risk that high it's something you'd expect to know about widely, with at least 1 in 50 mothers receiving the injection


Rh disease is taught about in high school, and is one of the first things doctors check for. If a woman is of type negative blood, then she will likely have been told as a young girl that her children may be at risk depending on the father.

I guess what I’m saying is — rh disease is probably the most widely known and treated complication of pregnancy


>The 81-year-old Australian has donated more than 1,100 times since turning 21.

>Because his blood has unique disease-fighting antibodies, it is used to create an injection which combats rhesus disease – a condition where the blood of pregnant women attacks their unborn babies.


Yes. Each donation is subdivided




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: