World Blood Donor Day on 14th June 2014: Safe Blood for Saving Mothers
Saturday 14th June 2014 is World Blood Donor Day, and Benenden is promoting this year’s campaign ‘Safe Blood for Saving Mothers’, raising awareness about blood donations and its importance on preventing maternal deaths.
I was surprised to find out the alarming fact that around 800 women die every single day from pregnancy and complications during childbirth. Severe bleeding during delivery and after giving birth are the main causes of deaths, morbidity and long-term disability, therefore it is essential that mothers around the world have access to safe blood in a timely manner to save their lives.
Blood transfusion improves health and saves lives, however the supplies of blood and blood products need to be free from such as HIV, hepatitis viruses and other infections that can be transmitted during transfusion. In poor countries, blood transfusions are mainly used for management of pregnancy related complications, childhood malaria, complications by severe anaemia, and trauma-related injuries.
World Blood Donor Day aims to raise awareness of the importance of regular voluntary unpaid blood donation, which supply adequate and reliable safe blood and blood products. A single unit of blood can benefit several patients as the blood donation is separated into its various components, therefore you can save many lives by simply becoming a blood donor.
Most people can give blood. As long as you are fit and healthy, weigh over 7 stone 12 lbs (50kg) and are aged between 17 and 66 (up to 70 if you have given blood before) you should be able to give blood. If you are over 70, you need to have given blood in the last two years to continue donating. If you are unsure please feel free to call our 24 hour donor helpline on 0300 123 23 23. I am ashamed to say I am not a blood donor, however I shall get in touch with donor helpline to start donating blood and saving life asap!
This post has been written in partnership with Benenden to raise awareness for World Blood Donor Day