Words of Thanks on World Donor Day

World Blood Donor Day, celebrated on June 14, is dedicated to raising awareness of the need for safe blood and to honoring those whose donations of blood has helped so many people to survive and live better lives.

"My daughter Carlee was born 12 weeks before her due date. While she was in neonatal care, she received several transfusions to replace blood taken for medical testing," says Sherry McGotlhin, Carlee's mother.

"I had a terrible traffic accident. For me, the blood I received at the hospital meant the difference between life and the death. Without that blood--donated by people I will never know--I would be dead," says David Hanson.

"I am a hemophiliac, and I have been going to the Nicaraguan Red Cross to receive transfusions since I was 4. There, I get factor VIII and plasma. I am very grateful that they have helped me to live a better live," says Rafael Rendez Miranda.

While there are millions of grateful blood recipients throughout the Americas and around the world, not everyone who needs blood is so lucky, because not every country collects all the blood it needs. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 81 million units of blood are collected throughout the world each year. But only 27 million units (about a third of the total) are collected in medium- and low-income countries, where 82 percent of the world population lives. At the global level, only 39 countries have reached a level of voluntary blood donation that covers 100 percent of their blood needs.

In the Americas, only a minority of countries have blood banks that work exclusively with altruistic blood donors: Aruba, Bermuda, Canada, Cuba, Curacao, the Cayman Islands, Suriname and United States.

In low- and medium-income countries, more than 43 percent of blood donations by new donors comes from paid donors or from relatives of patients known as "replacement" donors. In the Americas region, only 36 percent of donors are voluntary and altruistic, that is, giving blood solely for the general public good. The majority of the region's blood donors are replacement donors, and some countries still rely on paid donors.

In spite of efforts to build up the blood supply, the availability of blood in Latin America and the Caribbean remains limited. According to recommendations of WHO and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, countries need to collect blood from the equivalent of 3-5 percent of their populations in order to meet their blood supply needs. Yet most Latin American and Caribbean countries collect blood from the equivalent of only about 1.39 percent of the population.

Worldwide, repeat (giving blood at least twice a year), altruistic donors provide 37.6 million units of blood annually. But 89 percent of this was in high-income countries.

World Blood Donor Day provides an opportunity to emphasize the importance of repeat and altruistic donation to guarantee a safe and sufficient blood supply. In summary, World Blood Donor Day seeks to promote the following:

·  Motivation for healthy donors who have given blood for family members to become repeat voluntary altruistic blood donors.

·  An increase in the number of donors through awareness-raising and promotional campaigns.

·  Healthy lifestyles among blood donors, to protect their lives and the lives of patients who receive their blood.

·  Awareness of the need for safe and adequate blood supplies.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has set a goal for Latin America and the Caribbean to increase the level of voluntary, altruistic blood donors to at least 50 percent by 2007. Donors themselves, along with patients, can help promote this goal by spreading the word about the importance of voluntary blood donation. After all, who better can explain the feeling of satisfaction one gets from giving the gift of life through blood donation?