Day meant to recognize volunteers worldwide
June 14 was World Blood Donor Day, and Canadian Blood Services, like so many other organizations across the planet, celebrated the lifesaving gifts that blood donors continue to provide. This past year there were over 420,000 blood donations in Canada, with each donation giving a leukemia patient, car accident victim, or other person in need an opportunity to continue living.
“We are extremely lucky to have a safe and reliable blood supply that ensures Canadian patients receive blood products whenever and wherever they need them,” said Mark Donnison, vice-president of Donor Relations, in an official statement. “On World Blood Donor Day, we would like to remind Canadians of how precious each blood donation is, and to encourage new donors to book their first appointment.”
Mr. Donnison continued to add that during the summer many donors are unable to give, producing extra emphasis on boosting the current inventory.
World Blood Donor Day was created by the World Health Organization (WHO). With the slogan of “Give freely, give often,” the WHO hopes to encourage people from all nations to donate blood voluntarily, while acknowledging those who have already donated. The WHO accepts over 108 million donations each year, with 73 nations obtaining greater than 90 per cent of their blood supply from unpaid donors. They have set 2020 as the target to have all nations receive 100 per cent of their blood supply through volunteers. The theme of the 2015 campaign is “Thank you for saving my life.”
Blood supply and usage can greatly vary across the globe. In high-income countries, blood donors are more common and tend to be proportionally older. There are a median 36.8 donations per 1,000 population, compared to 11.7 donations for middle-income, and 3.9 in low-income countries. In high-income nations 76 per cent of blood transfusions are for patients older than 65 years of age, while in low-income countries children less than five years-old receive 65 per cent of the transfusions. Additionally, low-income areas more frequently import plasma-derived medicinal products, including immunoglobulins and coagulation factors, and have a higher prevalence of transfusion-transmissible infections in blood donations (HIV, Hepatitis B & C, etc) than do more affluent ones (e.g. HIV prevalence of 0.85 per cent compared 0.002 per cent). However, the WHO Blood and Transfusion Safety program has helped created and improve blood standards worldwide.
Canadian hospitals are also becoming better at utilizing available blood resources. The Toronto Star recently reported that improvements in hospital procedures and blood conservation have led to some clinics and bloodmobile programs being shut down. Last year there was a four per cent decline in the need for red blood cells, and because of improved efficiency, the national blood collection goal will be reduced by 40,000 units this year.
Canadian Blood Services facilitate other types of lifesaving donations as well. The OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network allows volunteers to register and potentially help the 75 per cent of patients who are unable to find a match within their families. Stem cells from umbilical cords can also be collected for similar purposes. They provide links to provincial registries for organs and tissues. Excitingly, a new Highly Sensitized Patient (HSP) program was launched on May 22. This national initiative is designed to improve the chances of kidney disease patients with high levels of sensitizing antibodies being connected with suitable donors and the organs they need.