Iran the only Islamic country in Eastern Mediterranean with rare blood program’

Iran is the only Islamic nation in the Eastern Mediterranean region that has a rare blood program, an official with the Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization (IBTO) has said.
In the Iranian year 1389 (2010-2011), the country joined the International Rare Blood Association, which currently has 30 member states, IRNA quoted Mehdi Karbasizadeh as saying.

The official went on to say that Iran, China, and Japan are the only member states of the association in Asia that have rare blood management programs.
One out of 5,000 to 10,000 individuals in Iran has a rare blood type. The frequency of rare blood types in each country depends on its population and the blood type. Bombay blood type is among the rarest blood groups known in the country, the official added.

There are currently fewer than 10 of the rarest blood types and 30 rare blood types in the country. About 150 out of 376 solidified units of blood stored at a rare blood bank are the rarest, Karbasizadeh said.
Presently, 262 individuals with a really rare blood type are identified in the country, but not all of them can donate blood. The official urged those with (really) rare blood types to donate blood at least once a year, saying that blood units solidified at minus 65 to 85 degrees centigrade can be stored for 10 years.

In 2025, Jaffar Hussain, the former World Health Organization (WHO) Representative to Iran, highlighted Iran’s capacity to serve as a model for other nations in the realm of blood transfusion and rare blood management.Addressing National Rare Blood Day on January 22, the official praised the country’s steadfast commitment to equitable health care access, ensuring that no one is left behind, regardless of their blood type.National Rare Blood Day is a day dedicated to celebrating the lives saved, challenges overcome, and unwavering commitment to ensuring every individual, regardless of their blood type, has a fighting chance at life.

The official commended the country’s unwavering dedication to tackling the unique challenges surrounding rare blood, emphasizing the critical importance of collaboration, innovation, and unwavering determination in this global endeavour, the WHO website announced in a press release on January 27. Hussain painted a vivid picture of the struggles faced by those with rare blood types, individuals who often find themselves in desperate need, their lives hanging in the balance as they search for that elusive, compatible match.