World Blood Donor Day 2024: Theme, Key Messages and Facts You Need to Know

Every year on 14 June, the world comes together to celebrate World Blood Donor Day, a day dedicated to recognizing the vital role of voluntary blood donors. Giving blood is an often overlooked, yet vitally important, act of generosity.

This important fluid is crucial for surgeries, accident victims, people battling illness, and many other situations.

You are watching: World Blood Donor Day 2024: Theme, Key Messages and Facts You Need to Know

But blood doesn’t just appear in a hospital out of thin air. It comes from ordinary people like us who choose to contribute to saving lives. Donating blood is a safe and relatively simple process, and the benefits extend far beyond the recipient. That’s why World Blood Donor Day is celebrated to honor blood donors.

What is the history of World Blood Donor Day?

World Blood Donor Day has a relatively short history, but it stems from a scientific breakthrough that revolutionized medicine. Here are the details:

See more : Optical Illusion Spot the Difference Picture Puzzle: Can You Find the 3 Differences Between Two Images Within 20 Seconds?

Foundation: Karl Landsteiner’s discovery of the blood group system laid the foundation for safe blood transfusions. The Austrian doctor is commemorated on World Blood Donor Day and is considered the “founder” of modern blood transfusions.

Blood Donor Day is born: To honour Landsteiner’s contribution and raise awareness of the importance of blood donation, four major organisations come together. In 2004, the World Health Organisation (WHO) establishes the first World Blood Donor Day.

The World Health Organization states: “The first World Blood Donor Day was celebrated in 2004 and then, in 2005, the Fifty-eighth World Health Assembly designated it an annual global event. World Blood Donor Day is now celebrated around the world on 14 June each year to raise awareness of the importance of blood donation and to recognize the contribution of voluntary unpaid blood donors in saving lives and improving health.”

World Blood Donor Day 2024: Theme

The theme of World Blood Donor Day 2024 is: “Celebrating 20 years of blood donation: Thank you blood donors!”

See more : Optical Illusion Brain Challenge: If you have 50/50 Vision Find the Letter R among K in 12 Secs

This theme highlights two key aspects:

• Thanking blood donors: For the past two decades, World Blood Donor Day has served as a platform to express gratitude to voluntary blood donors, whose selfless act of donation has saved countless lives and continues to be the backbone of a safe and reliable blood supply.
• Milestone Year: 2024 marks 20 years of raising awareness and promoting blood donation. This anniversary provides an opportunity to reflect on the progress made, acknowledge ongoing challenges, and celebrate the dedication of donors, blood centers, and organizations that work tirelessly in this field.

The World Health Organization states: “On World Blood Donor Day, 14 June 2024, WHO, its partners and communities around the world will come together to celebrate 20 years of blood donation: Thank you, blood donors!”

“The 20th anniversary of World Blood Donor Day is an excellent and timely opportunity to thank donors around the world for their life-saving blood donations over the years and to celebrate the profound impact that blood donations have on patients and donors. It is also an appropriate time to address ongoing challenges and accelerate progress towards a future where everyone has access to safe blood transfusions.” It added.

World Blood Donor Day 2024: key messages

Here are the key messages from WHO for World Blood Donor Day 2024:

• “Safe blood saves lives.

• Blood is needed by women with complications of pregnancy and childbirth, children with severe anemia due to malaria or malnutrition, accident victims, and surgical and cancer patients.

• A sufficient number of healthy people are needed to donate blood regularly to ensure that blood is available whenever and wherever it is needed.

• While the need for blood is universal, access to blood is not. Blood shortages are acute in low- and middle-income countries.

• Every donation of blood or plasma is a precious, life-saving gift; regular donations are key to building a safe and sustainable supply.”

World Blood Donor Day 2024: The facts

• 1818 James Blundell performs first successful blood transfusion
• According to WHO, “A total of 118.5 million blood donations were collected worldwide, 40% of which were collected in high-income countries, which are home to 16% of the world’s population.”
• The Red Cross blood donation mentioned: “Every two seconds someone in the United States needs blood or platelets.”
• Blood cannot be manufactured and must come from voluntary donors.
• Type O negative blood is universal blood and the blood type most needed in hospitals.
• According to the Red Cross Blood Donation Center, “Nearly 16 million blood transfusions are given in the U.S. each year”
• The World Health Organization states: “Between 2008 and 2018, 10.7 million donations from voluntary unpaid donors were reported. A total of 79 countries receive more than 90% of their blood supply from voluntary unpaid donors; however, 54 countries receive more than 50% of their blood supply from family/replacement donors or paid donors.”

Source: https://dinhtienhoang.edu.vn
Category: Optical Illusion