World honors hemoglobin heros on Blood Donor Day

By Gozde Bayar

ANKARA (AA) - With millions of lives saved every year, Blood Donor Day is observed on June 14 to raise awareness on the ongoing need for donations.

In 2005, health ministers from across the world globe designated the birthday of Karl Landsteiner, who received a Nobel Prize for his discovery of blood types, to show international commitment to and support for voluntary blood donation.

According tot he World Health Organization (WHO), some 117.4 million donations are collected yearly worldwide, with 42% being from high-income countries -- 16% of the world’s population -- based on data from 2015 from 139 countries.

"In the low-income countries, up to 52% of transfusions are for children under the age of 5 years," said WHO in an online report last month, underlining that children were particularly vulnerable to shortages of spare blood.

It stressed that the availability of blood and related substances like plasma were critical for patients with severe anaemia and blood disorders, as well as victims of trauma, disasters and accidents.

The WHO also urged governments, national health authorities and blood services to prioritize the provision of a safe and adequate blood supply on a voluntary and regular basis.

It also stressed that all blood donations be screened for infections prior to use and recommended the development of systems, such as hospital transfusion committees, to monitor and improve the safety during transfusion.

"The risk of transmission of serious infections, including HIV and hepatitis, through unsafe blood and chronic blood shortages brought global attention to the importance of blood safety and availability", added the organization.

- Blood donations in Turkey

The Turkish Red Crescent (Kizilay) reported that nearly 1.3 million units of blood had been donated across Turkey in the first half of 2019.

Providing blood gathered from 300 donation centers in the country to those in need, Kizilay thanked regular donors with medals on World Blood Donor Day .

Kizilay is the largest humanitarian organization in Turkey, with an international network over which it also provides relief to other nations in need.

It provides unconditional aid and non-profit, volunteer-based social services -- including blood donation -- and is a corporate body governed by special legal provisions.

It is also active in the fields of disaster management, healthcare, first aid, foreign aid, immigration and refugee services.