Blood bank calls for donations before vacations

WITH more people travelling to far-flung places for the holidays, the blood bank is urging donors to make sure they give before they go.

An increasing number of long-haul destinations means that many donors may be unable to donate when they return from holidays abroad.

Their blood cannot be taken for a defined period if they have been exposed to tropical diseases or the West Nile Virus while abroad.

The Irish Blood Transfusion Service has launched a new campaign on World Blood Donor Day in a bid to encourage more donations over the summer.

It is a huge challenge for the blood bank to meet the demand for blood at this time of year with schools closed, people on holidays and those still at home more likely to take advantage of the summer evenings.

World Blood Donor Day, first launched in 2004, promotes the concept of voluntary, unremunerated blood donation worldwide.

It also recognises internationally that voluntary unremunerated donors are the cornerstone of a safe blood supply.

A World Health Organisation (WHO) study of 172 nations published yesterday found that as many as 28% of countries cannot test all donated blood for one or more of threats like HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and syphilis.

More than 80 million units of blood are donated worldwide every year but a mere 38% of these are collected in developing countries where 82% of the global population lives.

Many countries remain dependent on donations by families or friends of those who require blood, and in some countries blood donors are still paid.

In low-income countries, women and children are the groups with the greatest need for blood.

More than 500,000 women worldwide die each year from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth — 99% in developing countries.

Haemorrhage, accounting for 25% of all complications, is the most common cause of maternal death.

Up to 70% of all blood transfusions in Africa are given to children suffering from severe anaemia owing to malaria, which accounts for one in five of all childhood deaths on the continent.

In a statement marking World Blood Donor Day, the WHO called for more blood donations, better tests of donated blood, and closer monitoring of severe bleeding risk during and after childbirth to save women’s lives in the developing world.

www.wbdd.org

www.ibts.ie