World Blood Donor Day 2022: Why you should donate blood?

New Delhi, Jun 14: World Blood Donor Day (WBDD) is celebrated worldwide on June 14 every year to raise awareness about the need for safe blood and blood products for medical uses and show gratitude towards the voluntary, unpaid blood donors who are intentionally helping save lives. This day also provides an opportunity to call governments and health authorities to action, so they strive toward efficient blood collection from voluntary, unpaid blood donors and increase access for those who require it.

Every health system needs a sufficient supply of safe blood and blood products for effective functioning, and without blood donors, the entire system would collapse. So it is only so little we can do to celebrate these heroes.

History

World Health Organisation (WHO) established June 14 as World Blood Donor Day in 2004. It was declared an annual global event by WHO and its 192 member states in May 2005 during the 58th Globe Health Assembly.

WBDD is celebrated on June 14 because it is also marked by the birth anniversary of Austrian biologist, physician and immunologist Karl Landsteiner. Landsteiner was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of the ABO blood group system and for facilitating modern-day blood transfusion. He is also known as the father of transfusion medicine.

WBDD led to the coming up of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, which aimed to spread global knowledge about the importance of blood donation by healthy people.

World Blood Donor Day, 2022

Every year, a new slogan/theme is associated with WBDD to encourage blood donors. "Give blood and keep the world beating" was the slogan for WBDD 2021. For 2022, "Blood donation is an act of solidarity. Join the effort and save lives" is the slogan for WBDD.

The objectives for this year are to thank blood donors worldwide and continue the struggle to raise awareness of the need for regular unpaid blood donations. It presses on the importance of regular blood donations that help public health systems maintain sufficient supplies and increase access to safe blood transfusions timely and universally. It raises awareness among governments to invest in sustainable systems for efficient blood collection and recognizes and promotes the enhancement of solidarity and social cohesion among communities through values of voluntary unpaid blood donation.

Various media outlets are being encouraged to spread the stories of those whose lives were saved by the blood of some random good Samaritan who donated their blood. This helps motivate others to donate blood regularly. Donor appreciation ceremonies, social networking, social media posts featuring the stories of these good Samaritans, workshops and meetings discussing the importance of blood donation, colouring famous monuments red, etc., are some activities that have been carried out to promote this year's slogan for WBDD.

Mexico is this year's host for WBDD through its National Blood Centre.

Eligibility for blood donation

Anybody between the ages of 17 and 66 years, is healthy, has no history of blood-related ailments, and weighs over 50 kilograms is eligible to donate blood. Males can donate blood every three months, whereas females can donate every four months.

Individuals going through their menstrual cycle or having a cold or sore throat, stomach infection or any other such ailments are encouraged to donate blood after passing through them. A six-month waiting period is advised for those who have gotten a tattoo or body piercing.

Asthma patients, pregnant or breastfeeding individuals, HIV-positive individuals, cancer patients, and individuals with high or low bp are strictly prohibited from donating blood.

Why donate blood?

In our biology textbooks in school, blood was labelled as an important circulatory fluid that carries oxygen to and from other body parts. So blood is undeniably one of the essential parts of our bodies, and organs, especially the heart, fail to function without it. When a person loses a large amount of blood due to injuries or suffers from diseases affecting blood (hepatitis, coronavirus, sickle cell anaemia, etc.), a blood transfusion could save their life. So blood donation literally saves millions of lives every year.

Research has also found that blood donors have several health benefits from donating blood on a regular basis. They recover from diseases faster and might live longer. Blood donation also helps regulate weight loss, maintain liver and iron levels in the body and reduce the risks of heart attacks and cancer.

If you are a healthy individual who wants to be a good Samaritan, donate blood today to save not one but three other lives.