World Blood Donor Day: Donate blood, share life!

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: Blood is indeed the most precious gift that a person can give to another person - the gift of life. While the day-to-day requirement for blood never ends, a continuous supple of safe blood can help meet the needs of the patients.

 

Every year on June 14, nations around the world celebrate World Blood Donor Day (WBDD). The theme of this year's World Blood Donor Day is 'Blood connects us all'.

It focuses on thanking blood donors and highlights the dimension of 'sharing' and 'connection' between blood donors and patients.

The campaign aims to highlight the key role that voluntary blood donation play for strengthening social cohesion and to encourage people in good health who have never given blood to begin doing so, while motivating regular blood donors to continue giving blood.

 

On the occasion of World Blood Donor Day, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has is calling for rapid rise of voluntary, unpaid blood donations in more than half the world's countries in order to ensure a reliable supply of safe blood for patients whose lives depend on it.

According to the WHO, 108 million blood donations are collected globally, half of these are in high-income countries. It is estimated that 62 countries collect 100% of their blood supply from voluntary, unpaid blood donors. And blood donation by 1% of the population can meet a nation's most basic needs for blood.

An adequate and reliable supply of safe blood can be assured by a stable base of regular, voluntary, unpaid blood donors.

Blood transfusion can save a patient’s life and limit the complications of severe blood loss.

However, WHO recommends that all blood donations should be screened for infections prior to use. Screening should be mandatory for HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and syphilis. Blood screening should be performed according to the quality system requirements.

World Blood Donor Day is also the day to commemorate the birthday anniversary of Karl Landsteiner, a great scientist who won the Nobel Prize for his great discovery of the ABO blood group system.