World Blood Donor Day 2021: The human body functions smoothly due to the vital fluid called blood. Blood is composed of red blood cells that carry oxygen to the tissues, white blood cells that fight infections and platelets, and smaller cells that help the blood clot. Now that we know how much of a vital role it plays in the human body’s functioning, it is crucial to preserve them for all medical emergencies.
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World Blood Donor Day – 14th June 2021
A healthy person can donate blood three times a year. It does not take much time for the body to reproduce the given blood and keep up with the body’s functioning. To thank and celebrate such people who donate blood for the well being of others. The United Nations has recognized 14th June every year as the World Blood Donor Day.
World Blood Donor Day 2021 – History
World Blood Donor Day is celebrated on 14th June every year. This also marks the birth anniversary of the scientist Karl Landsteiner. He was born on 14th June in the year 1868. We commemorate the birth anniversary of Karl Landsteiner on International Blood Donor Day as a tribute to his discovery of the Blood groups A, B and O.
The world figured out the different blood groups and its work on further investigations on this, only post his discovery. This International Day is used as a platform worldwide to spread awareness of blood and blood products’ importance, the need for blood donation, and safe blood transfusions.
World Blood Donor Day is recognized as one of the eight official international public health campaigns marked by the World Health Organization (WHO) and other important days. This international day is observed by all member states of the World Health Organization (WHO).
Objective of World Blood Donor Day 2021
- To provide a platform to thank the people who voluntarily donate blood often.
- To encourage individuals who do not donate blood to donate blood regularly.
- To support effect, national blood donor programs and eliminate the dependence on family and friends.
- To discourage paid blood donation, mostly when there is an acute shortage of blood when necessary.
- Educate people about the importance of safe blood transfusions and how blood products are such life saviours.
- To help blood banks to manage sufficient blood supply.
World Blood Donor Day 2021 Theme
This day all over the world, is used to create awareness of donating blood. Encourage people to become voluntary unpaid blood donors by going to the nearby free blood donation campaigns organized by voluntary bodies like NGOs and medical institutes. Themes recognized by the World Health organization are
- The theme for Blood Donor Day 2021 is ‘Celebrating the Gift of Blood.’
- The year 2020: The theme for this year was ‘Safe Blood Saves Lives’
- The year 2019: The theme for this year was Safe Blood for All’
- The year 2018: The theme for this year was ‘Be there for someone else. Give blood, share life’
- The year 2017: The theme for this year was ‘Give blood. Give Now. Give Often’
- The year 2016: The theme for this year was ‘Blood connects us all’
- The year 2015: The theme for this year was ‘Thank you for saving my life’
- The year 2014: The theme for this year was ‘Safe blood for mothers’
- The year 2013: The theme for this year was ‘Give the gift of life: donate blood’
- The year 2012: The theme for this year was ‘Every blood donor is a hero’
World Blood Donor Day 2021 Significance
Blood plays a crucial role in all medical and surgical procedures. Doctors save a million lives every year by blood transfusion and blood products. It helps patients suffering from life-threatening illness live longer, and It also provides them with a better quality of life. Blood also plays a life-saving role in perinatal care. Access to sufficient blood can save many who suffer from severe blood loss during accidents, bleeding during childbirth and after childbirth. Not many people volunteer to donate blood due to lack of awareness or sheer ignorance.
The fact that the amount of blood given by them gets regenerated in a matter of a few hours should be a sufficient reason for a healthy person to donate blood. At the same time, it is also critical that we pay attention to safety during blood collection. Keeping a check on the safety of the Blood donor should be of at most priority. Reserving safe blood and blood products can help save lives. In many countries, there is a struggle to manage the adequate supply of safe blood and blood services due to a lack of donors, and hence it becomes a challenge to make sufficient blood available at all times.
Ample blood supply can be ensured only by regular blood donation by Voluntary blood donors. World Health Organization aims to achieve sufficient blood supply by 2021 with Voluntary unpaid blood donors’ help. All around the world, around 60 countries manage their national blood supply by voluntary unpaid blood donors. However, another 70 plus counties still depend on family and friends for blood donations.
All of us need to understand how critical and essential blood donation is. We have to volunteer and donate blood as often as possible. It sure will be a life-changing experience when you see how much of a difference you made in someone’s life by donating blood. Every blood donor is a HERO. Let’s donate blood and become HERO’s in real!