Theme: Give blood, give plasma, share life, share often

World Blood Donor Day is celebrated annually on June 14. This year’s theme Give blood, give plasma, share life, share often, focuses on patients requiring life-long transfusion support and underlines the role every single person can play, by giving the valuable gift of blood or plasma. It also highlights the importance of giving blood or plasma regularly to create a safe and sustainable supply of blood and blood products that can be always available, all over the world, so that all patients in need can receive timely treatment.

Every single donation is a precious lifesaving gift and repeat donation is the key to building a safe and sustainable blood supply.

THE OBJECTIVES

• Celebrate and thank individuals who donate blood and encourage more people to become new donors;
• Encourage people in good health to donate blood regularly, as often as is safe and possible, to transform the quality of life for transfusion dependent patients and help to build a secure blood supply in all countries in the world;  
• Highlight the critical roles of voluntary non-remunerated regular blood and plasma donations in achieving universal access to safe blood products for all populations; and
• Mobilize support at national, regional and global levels among governments and development partners to invest in, strengthen and sustain national blood programmes.

HOW TO OBSERVE WORLD BLOOD DONOR DAY

• Donate blood. If you’re eligible to donate blood, you only need to dedicate about an hour of your day to this live-saving process.
• Social networking campaigns. If you either can’t donate blood or can’t find the time, spreading the word about the importance of World Blood Donor Day can be hugely impactful. Many people are unaware of how easy the process is.
• Check out special events in your area to celebrate World Blood Donor Day. Many blood centers, hospitals, and volunteers set up special, fun events with music and art during the events to thank blood donors.

BLOOD FACTS

• There are eight blood types. They are A, B, AB and O, and they come in either positive or negative Rh Factor
• People with Type O negative blood are universal donors with blood that can be used by anyone.
• A common occurrence.
• Bountiful Supply. An average adult has about 10 – 12 pints of blood in his or her body.
• Blood is made of four elements. It’s divided into red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, all floating in plasma.

WHY WORLD BLOOD DONOR DAY IS IMPORTANT

• It saves lives. Before blood transfusions became a regular medical practice, lives were regularly lost as a result of an inadequate blood supply. Blood donations end up supporting a wide variety of medical needs, from pre-planned, minor procedures to emergency surgeries. Blood transfusions are an important part of the planned treatment of cancer patients or expecting mothers, as well as vital in case of disasters or car crashes.
• There’s always a need for more blood donations. Donating blood is a quick, easy, and incredibly safe process, but only a small subsection of the population are regular blood donors. Out of the people who are considered “eligible” to donate blood, only about 10 percent choose to do so. Because blood donation is an entirely voluntary process, World Blood Donor Day is an important reminder of how there can never be such a thing as “too many blood donations.
• It’s a global issue. Having an adequate blood supply is, obviously, necessary in every country on earth. Right now, many developed countries are able to rely on voluntary, unpaid blood donations to meet 100% of their blood supply needs. But finding those volunteers and making sure the blood is safe is still a big issue in developing countries, and they often have to rely on either family or paid donations. The WHO is working hard to ensure that, in the near future, blood donations all over the world will be entirely unpaid and voluntary.

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