June 14: World Blood Donor Day 

Santo Domingo.- The World Blood Donor Day will be celebrated worldwide on June 14. This event serves to thank voluntary unpaid donors for a gift that saves lives. This commemoration motivates to raise awareness of the need to make regular donations to have timely and affordable access to safe and quality blood and blood products, as an integral part of universal health coverage and a fundamental component of effective health systems. The slogan for the World Blood Donor Day 2023 campaign, "Give blood, give plasma, share life, share it frequently" focuses on patients who need lifelong transfusion support and underlines the role that each and every one can play by donating the valuable gift of their blood or plasma.

It also highlights the importance of voluntarily donating blood or plasma periodically to create a safe and sustainable supply of blood and blood products that can always be available, worldwide, so that all patients who need it can receive timely treatment. The need for blood is universal; access to blood is not. Blood shortages are most acute in low- and middle-income countries.

Difficulty in Blood Supplies Worldwide

In many countries, blood services have problems making sufficient blood available while ensuring its quality and safety. The lack of access to safe blood and blood products, especially in low- and middle-income countries, affects all patients, particularly those who need periodic transfusions. In many countries, it is also necessary to increase plasma donations so that patients have sufficient plasma proteins.

Every blood or plasma donation is a precious gift that saves lives; regular donation is key to having a safe and sustainable supply.

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One of the WHO's strategies is to help low- and middle-income countries around the world improve the availability and quality of human plasma, in particular by optimizing the use of plasma recovered from whole blood donations and increasing patients' access to vital plasma protein treatments.

Who can donate blood?

Most people can donate blood if they are in good health. Below are some basic requirements to become a blood donor. Donors must be between 18 and 65 years old with a minimum weight of 50 kg.

• In some countries, national legislation allows young people aged 16 to 17 to donate as long as they meet the required physical and hematological criteria and appropriate consent is obtained.
• In some countries, regular donors over 65 years of age may be accepted at the discretion of the responsible physician. The upper age limit is 60 years in some countries.

• In some countries, whole blood donors must weigh at least 45 kg to donate 350 ml ± 10%.

You cannot donate when you have a cold, flu, sore throat, mouth ulcers, gastric infection, or any other infection.

After getting a tattoo or a piercing you cannot donate for 6 months. If the piercing was done by a registered healthcare professional and the inflammation has completely disappeared, you can donate blood after 12 hours.

After minor dental procedures, you must wait 24 hours to donate, and if it's major dental procedures, you must wait a month. You should not donate blood if you do not have the minimum hemoglobin level required for donation:

• The test is performed at the place where the donation is made. In many countries, a hemoglobin level of no less than 12.0 g/dl is required for women and 13.0 g/dl for men.

Behaviors

Blood should not be donated if you have had "risky" sexual activities in the last 12 months. Donation will be permanently suspended in people who have ever:

• have tested positive for HIV (AIDS virus)
• have injected drugs.

National blood donor selection guidelines have more behavioral criteria that may vary by country.

Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

After pregnancy, the deferral period should last as many months as the pregnancy.

It is not advisable to donate blood while breastfeeding. After childbirth, the deferral period is at least 9 months (like the duration of pregnancy) and up to 3 months after the infant has been largely weaned (i.e., gets most of their nutrition from solids or bottles).