Every year on 14 June, countries around the world celebrate World Blood Donor Day (WBDD). The event, established in 2004, serves to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products; and to thank blood donors for their voluntary, life-saving gifts of blood. It is celebrated every year on the day of birthday anniversary of Karl Landsteiner (14 June 1868). Thus World Blood Donor Day celebration brings a precious opportunity to all donors for celebrating it on national and global levels as well as to commemorate the birthday anniversary of Karl Landsteiner, a nobel prize winner, for his great discovery of the ABO blood group system.
Millions of lives are saved every year by transfusion of blood and blood products in patients suffering from life-threatening conditions, and during complex medical and surgical procedures. It also has an important, life-saving role in maternal and child care and during the emergency response to man-made and natural disasters. An adequate supply of safe blood and blood products can only be ensured through regular donations by voluntary, unpaid blood donors.
The slogan of this year’s campaign is “safe blood for all”. The World Health organization has chosen Rwanda to host the next World Blood Donor Day 2019 and will become the second African Country to host the global event following South Africa 15 years ago. The theme of this year’s WBDD draws attention to the roles that voluntary donation systems play in encouraging people to care for one another and generate social ties and a united community.
Themes for the last few years
2018: Be there for someone else. Give blood. Share life
2017: Give Blood. Give Now. Give Often
2016: Blood connects us all
2015: Thank you for saving my life
2014: Safe blood for saving mothers
2013: Give the gift of life : donate blood
2012: Every blood donor is a hero
Transfusion of blood and blood products save millions of lives every year. Blood and blood products are essential components in the proper management of women suffering from bleeding associated with pregnancy and childbirth; children suffering from severe anaemia due to malaria and malnutrition; patients with blood and bone marrow disorders, inherited disorders of haemoglobin and immune deficiency conditions; victims of trauma, emergencies, disasters and accidents; as well as patients undergoing advanced medical and surgical procedures. Although the need for blood and blood products is universal, there is a marked difference in the level of access to safe blood and blood products across and within countries. In many countries, blood services face the additional challenge of making sufficient blood and blood products available, while also ensuring its quality and safety.
In May 2005, during the Fifty-Eighth World Health Assembly, ministers of health from across the world made a unanimous declaration of commitment and support towards voluntary blood donation. Through resolution WHA58.13, they designated World Blood Donor Day as an annual event to be held each year on 14 June. The resolution furthermore urges Member States to implement, and support well organized, nationally-coordinated and sustainable blood programmes with appropriate regulatory oversight. The support requires that governments provide adequate financing for high-quality blood donation services and for the expansion of these services so that sufficient safe blood can be collected to meet the needs of patients. In 2009, experts in transfusion medicine, policy-makers and nongovernmental representatives from 40 countries formulated the Melbourne Declaration, which set up a goal for all countries to obtain all their blood supplies from voluntary unpaid donors by 2020.
The theme of this year’s campaign is blood donation and universal access to safe blood transfusion, as a component of achieving universal health coverage. We have developed the slogan “Safe blood for all” to raise awareness of the universal need for safe blood in the delivery of health care and the crucial roles that voluntary donations play in achieving the goal of universal health coverage. The theme strongly encourages more people all over the world to become blood donors and donate blood regularly – actions which are key to building a strong foundation of sustainable national blood supplies that are sufficient to meet the needs of all patients requiring transfusion.
The day and the theme is also a call to action to all governments, national health authorities and national blood services to provide adequate resources and put in place systems and infrastructures to increase collection of blood from voluntary, regular unpaid blood donors; to provide quality donor care; to promote and implement appropriate clinical use of blood, and to set up systems for the oversight and surveillance on the whole chain of blood transfusion.
The objectives of this year’s campaign are:
- to celebrate and thank individuals who donate blood and to encourage those who have not yet donated blood to start donating;
- to highlight the need for committed, year-round blood donation, to maintain adequate supplies and achieve universal and timely access to safe blood transfusion;
- to focus attention on donor health and the quality of donor care as critical factors in building donor commitment and a willingness to donate regularly;
- to demonstrate the need for universal access to safe blood transfusion and provide advocacy on its role in the provision of effective health care and in achieving the goal of universal health coverage;
- to mobilize support at national, regional and global levels among governments and development partners to invest in, strengthen and sustain national blood programmes.
Facts on blood donation/ transfusion:
The world needs enough safe blood for everyone in need.
- Every few seconds, someone, somewhere, needs blood.
- Transfusions of blood and blood products save millions of lives every year.
- Health is a human right; everyone in the world should have access to safe blood transfusions, when and where they need them.
- Regular blood donations are needed all over the world to ensure individuals and communities have access to safe and quality-assured blood and blood products.
- Everyone who can donate blood should consider making regular voluntary, unpaid donations, so that all countries have adequate blood supplies.
- Ensuring the safety and well-being of blood donors is critical; it helps build commitment to regular donations.
- Access to safe blood and blood products is essential for universal health coverage and a key component of effective health systems.
- Blood and blood products are essential to care for:
- women with pregnancy and childbirth associated bleeding;
- children with severe anaemia due to malaria and malnutrition;
- patients with blood and bone marrow disorders, inherited disorders of haemoglobin and immune deficiency conditions;
- people with traumatic injuries in emergencies, disasters and accidents; and
- patients undergoing advanced medical and surgical procedures.
- The need for blood and blood products is universal, but access to safe blood and blood products varies greatly across and within countries.
- In many countries, it is challenging for blood services to make sufficient blood and blood products available, while also ensuring its quality and safety.
- Governments, national health authorities and national blood services must work together to:
- ensure systems and infrastructure are in place to increase collection of blood from voluntary, regular unpaid donors;
- establish and strengthen quality assurance systems for blood and blood products to ensure safe blood and blood products;
- provide quality donor care;
- promote and implement appropriate clinical use of blood; and
- oversee the whole chain of blood transfusion.
- Around 112.5 million units of donated blood are collected globally every year, however, many patients requiring transfusion do not have timely access to safe blood and blood products.
- Voluntary unpaid blood donors are the foundation of a safe, sustainable blood supply and account for 100% of blood supplies in 62 countries.
- Voluntary unpaid blood donors are the safest group of donors because the prevalence of blood borne infections is lowest among them.
- Often transfusions are prescribed when simple and safe alternative treatments might be equally effective. An unnecessary transfusion exposes patients to the risk of infections such as HIV and hepatitis and adverse transfusion reactions.
- The shelf- life of donated blood is 35 to 42 days; hence there is a constant need to replenish stocks in the blood banks.
- Healthy donors are between the ages of 18 to 65 years.
- A single unit of blood separating into its various components can benefit several patients.
- All donated blood should always be screened for HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and syphilis prior to transfusion.
- Voluntary unpaid blood donor is a person who gives blood, plasma or other blood components of his/her own free will and receives no payment for it, either in the form of cash or in-kind which could be considered a substitute for money.
- Voluntary, unpaid blood donors from low-risk populations are the safest blood donors and these donors can maintain a safe and adequate supply of blood and blood products. A person can donate blood either in a licensed blood bank, blood donation camps or at a blood mobile.
- National Blood Transfusion Council (NBTC) is the central body to promote voluntary blood donation, ensure safe blood transfusion, provide infrastructure to blood centres, develop human resource and formulate and implement the blood policy in India.
- Every few seconds, someone, somewhere needs blood. Be there for someone else. Give blood. Share life.
Written By
Dr. K.C. Usha MBBS(1977) MD Pathology. Former Principal of Govt. Medical College Kollam. Presently working as a professor of Transfusion Medicine Sri Mookambika Institute of Medical Sciences Kulasekharam Tamil Nadu.
