World Blood Donor Day
Underscoring the need of safe blood donation
Every second, someone in the world needs blood. In every country, surgery, trauma, severe anaemia and complications of pregnancy are among the clinical conditions that demand blood transfusion. Safe blood saves lives and improves health. There is a constant need for regular blood supply because blood can be stored for only a limited time before use. Regular blood donations by a sufficient number of healthy people is needed to ensure that safe blood will be available whenever and wherever it is needed. Blood is the most precious gift that anyone can give to another person — the gift of life. A decision to donate your blood can save a life, or even several if your blood is separated into its components — red cells, platelets and plasma — which can be used individually for patients with specific conditions. Many patients do not have access to blood when they need it. Of the estimated 80 million units of blood donated annually worldwide, only 38 percent are collected in the developing world where 82 percent of the world's population live. The shortfall has a particular impact on women with complications of pregnancy, trauma victims and children with severe life-threatening anaemia. Up to 150 000 pregnancy-related deaths could be avoided each year through access to safe blood. Even where sufficient blood is available, many people are exposed to avoidable, life-threatening risks through the transfusion of unsafe blood. The risk of acquiring HIV through the transfusion of infected blood is virtually 100 percent. Blood is also an effective means of transmitting hepatitis B, hepatitis C, syphilis, malaria and Chagas disease. About 5 percent of HIV infections are transmitted by unsafe transfusion as a result of the collection of blood from unsafe donors, irregular or inadequate supplies of materials to test blood for infections, poor laboratory testing procedures, inadequately trained staff, absence of quality systems or unnecessary transfusions. While blood transfusion can be life-saving, many transfusions are given unnecessarily when the availability and use of simpler, less expensive treatments would provide equal or greater benefit. Not only does this expose patients needlessly to the risk of potentially fatal transfusion reactions, it also widens the gap between supply and demand and contributes to shortages of blood and blood products for patients who really need them. Millions of lives are saved each year through blood transfusions. In many countries, however, people still die due to an inadequate supply of blood and blood products. This has a particular impact on women (as a consequence of pregnancy-related complications), children (malnutrition, malaria and severe life-threatening anaemia), trauma victims and, especially, the poor and disadvantaged. The emergence of HIV in the 1980s highlighted the importance of ensuring the safety, as well as the adequacy, of national blood supplies. Access to safe blood and blood products cannot be achieved without cost. However, an unsafe or inadequate blood supply is even more costly – in both human and economic terms. Morbidity and mortality resulting from the non-availability of blood or the transfusion of infected blood have a direct impact on individuals and their families. The transfusion of infected blood also contributes to an everwidening pool of infection in the general population with far-reaching consequences for society as a whole. Increased requirements for medical and social care, the loss of productive labour and higher levels of dependency place heavy burdens on overstretched health and social services and on national economies. An investment in a safe and adequate blood supply is therefore not only a responsibility of governments, but also a cost-effective investment in the health and economic wealth of every nation. The incidence of transfusion-transmitted infection – and its associated costs – will increase in countries that do not take stringent measures to ensure blood safety. However, effective national blood transfusion services have demonstrated how the implementation of the WHO strategy for blood safety can prevent the transmission of infection and ensure access to safe blood and blood products for all patients requiring transfusion. WHO chose 14 June as the day to recognise the millions of people who save lives and improve the health of others by donating blood. The Day highlights the need to regularly give blood to prevent shortages in hospitals and clinics, particularly in developing countries where quantities are very limited. The annual event focuses on motivating more people to become blood donors. It demonstrates how health systems and policy-makers work to make blood transfusions safe and accessible to people worldwide. High-level commitment and support by government leaders, royalty and celebrities, coupled with media campaigns and community-based activities, unite the world in a celebration of the selfless individuals who donate their blood to save the lives and improve the health of people whom they will never meet. World Blood Donor Day focuses on the lifesaving gift of voluntary unpaid blood donors who donate blood purely for altruistic reasons. As more and more countries achieve the goal of 100 per cent voluntary donation, there is growing appreciation of the vital role of voluntary unpaid donors who give blood on a regular basis. Regular donors are the safest blood donors and they are also the foundation of sustainable national blood supplies that are sufficient to meet the needs of all patients requiring transfusion. Retaining suitable blood donors should be a high priority for every country. This year, the theme of World Blood Donor Day is "Giving Blood Regularly" to support national blood donor programmes in building a stable base of voluntary unpaid donors who make a longterm commitment to blood donation. Slogans such as "Many Happy Returns" and "Once Is Not Enough" can be used to highlight the theme and emphasise the importance of regular donation by eligible donors in enabling blood collection to be planned to meet national requirements for specific blood groups and blood components and thus ensure access to safe blood transfusion when needed.
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