World Blood Donor Day: Save a life; give freely, give often!

Safe blood supplies are still a scarce commodity especially in developing countries despite about 92 million yearly blood donations worldwide! That's why it is imperative to understand the significance of blood donation.

Keeping that in mind, World Blood Donor Day (WBDD) is observed each year globally on 14 June which is an annual celebration meant for expressing gratitude to the blood donors who save lives by donating blood. The day also creates awareness of the need for safe blood for transfusion and to highlight why blood donation is important.

Theme for this World Blood Donor Day!

The theme of this year's campaign is "Thank you for saving my life". 

World Blood Donor Day is celebrated every year on the day of birthday anniversary of Karl Landsteiner on 14th of June in 1868. He is noted for having first distinguished the main blood groups in 1900 and having developed the modern system of classification of blood groups.

The global event is jointly sponsored by four core agencies: the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the International Federation of Blood Donor Organisations (IFBDO) and the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT).

This year, the host country is China, with the main activities taking place in Shanghai at the Shanghai Blood Center (SBC).

Why blood donation should be your responsibility?

Every second, there is someone who requires blood. But unfortunately, in India, every year 12 million units of blood are required, out of which only 9 million units come off the blood bank’s shelves through voluntarily donated blood.

Due to blood unavailability, many people lose lives in the face of accidents/emergencies or complicated surgeries.

Almost 800 women die from causes related to complications of pregnancy and childbirth globally. Severe bleeding during pregnancy, delivery or after childbirth is the single biggest cause of maternal death and can kill a healthy woman within 2 hours if she is unattended. Urgent access to safe supplies of blood for transfusion is critical to saving these women’s lives.

Several blood disorders like sickle cell anaemia, thalassemia and haemophilia affect children who require repeated blood transfusions. Innocent lives are lost due to repeated blood shortage and inconsistencies in their transfusion.

Blood transfusion helps patients suffering from variety of life-threatening health conditions and stimulates them to live longer. 

So don't shy away! Anyone between the age group of 18 to 65, weighing above 45 kgs, and having a haemoglobin level of 12.5 or above can easily donate blood. The blood donated is less than half of the extra blood that your body does not need. You can and should donate blood every three months.

Also watch World Health Organization's heartfelt video on this occasion. The video has been made keeping in with their theme that each time you donate blood, you might save up to three lives, and not just one.

Remember a small drop of your blood can be a hope for someone else. So be a hero and make blood donation your responsibility because there is nothing more beautiful than saving a life!