World Blood Donor Day 2022:
The world always needs blood donors! And not just on World Blood Donor Day, but every day. Although blood donation is a straightforward, painless, and extremely safe procedure, only a less percentage of the population donates blood regularly. Why is this? Well, one reason may be that some people don’t know how easy and safe it is to donate blood.
Another reason may be that they think their donation won’t make a difference or that someone else can do it instead of them. But the bottom line is this: every pint of donated blood makes a difference World Blood Donor Day serves as a timely reminder that it is a purely voluntary action.
Every year on June 14th, we recognize World Blood Donor Day. On June 14th, 2022, Mexico City is hosting a global event. The day is observed to promote blood donation and to encourage people to donate blood to save lives.
This year’s theme is “Donating blood is an act of solidarity.” The event raises awareness about the importance of safe blood and blood products, thanking unpaid blood donors for saving lives.
Some interesting facts:
Every country on the earth requires a proper supply of blood. In some countries, however, finding volunteers and assuring the safety of the received blood is still a concern, and people often rely on family or paid donations. It is a problem that every nation faces. In the foreseeable future, the WHO is working hard to ensure that all blood donations will be unpaid and voluntary worldwide. Let’s see some statistics for blood donation in our country.
Every two seconds, someone needs blood somewhere. More than 38,000 blood donations are needed every day. A total of 30 million blood components are transfused each year. Our country requires approximately five crore units of blood every year, yet only 2.5 crore units are available. The most common blood type required by hospitals is Type O.
History Of Blood Transfusion:
Karl Landsteiner was born on June 14th, 1868, and is honored on World Blood Donor Day. Landsteiner was a scientist, physician, and immunologist from Austria. In 1930, they awarded him the Nobel Prize for his discovery of the ABO blood group system, which is the modern system of blood type classification.
This breakthrough allowed doctors to do blood transfusions without endangering the patient’s life. Landsteiner invented agglutination tests and discovered ABO blood groups, making transfusion practical and safer. In the past, whole blood was used in transfusions, but nowadays, just blood components such as red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma, clotting factors, and platelets are used.
Many precautions are performed before a blood transfusion to verify the quality of the blood products, compatibility, and safety of the receiver. Blood transfusions employ either the person’s blood (autologous transfusion) or someone else’s blood as a source of blood (allogeneic or homologous transfusion). The latter is significantly more common than the former. Most blood donations are of whole blood. It is then collected intravenously and combined with an anticoagulant.
Blood transfusions are an essential part of the treatment programs for cancer patients and pregnant women, as well as for natural disasters or vehicle accidents. We use blood donations to assist with various medical needs, from everyday operations to emergency surgery.
The campaign’s specific objectives this year are to:
• raise awareness of the need for increased government investment to develop a stable and adaptable national blood system and increase collection from voluntary blood donors; and
• highlight the need for engaged, year-round blood donation to maintain sufficient supply and achieve timely access to safe blood transfusion.
Debunking myths:
The donor will not feel any pain while donating blood. You can continue your normal activities immediately after donating blood, though the doctor may urge you to avoid exercise or heavy weight lifting for 12 hours after the donation. Blood will never be in short supply in the body since, even after donating blood, the body will have a surplus of blood.
The most common misunderstanding is that donating blood will make you faint or make you feel uneasy. Not true. If you donate blood, you will not become infected with AIDS. With blood donation, they follow all safety precautions.
“Donating blood is an act of solidarity“:
Voluntary unpaid blood donation is one of the greatest expressions of community solidarity. Every day, generous volunteers donate their time and blood to help those in need. Patients with serious illnesses or injuries can receive life-saving treatments thanks to their donations. Without these volunteers, many people would not have access to essential medical care.
This World Blood Donor Day, let us take a moment to recognize the importance of unpaid blood donation and all the donors who make it possible. This day also attempts to persuade the younger generation, who are worried about donating blood, to join and begin donating blood so that the donor population remains strong. This year’s theme emphasizes the compassion and solidarity that comes with blood donation and caring for others. By donating our time and resources – including our precious blood – we can show our support for the suffering or in need.
Thank you, donors, for your dedication and selflessness!
