World Blood Donor Day 2022 | Know your theme

On World Blood Donor Day 2022 WHO is calling on people all around the globe to give blood in a gesture of solidarity.

Safe blood and blood products and their transfusion are a critical aspect of care and public health. They are key in treating people suffering from a range of diseases and as a result of accidents, natural disasters and armed conflict. The need for blood is universal, but access to it is limited – especially in low- and middle-income countries, where shortages particularly impact women and children as these tend to be the people who need blood most. Becoming a regular voluntary blood donor is a simple but selfless step that everyone can take to strengthen their communities, support local health systems and save lives.

Table of Contents

Key Messages for World Blood Donor Day 2022 | Know your theme

Safe blood is essential for helping people of all ages who suffer from diseases, disasters and accidents. Your donation saves lives and makes our community safe. Thank you!
Blood is always needed to save lives and treat people. Show your solidarity to the community and contribute with regular blood donations!
The need for blood is universal, but access to blood for all those who need it is not. Blood shortages are acute in low- and middle-income countries.
In low- and middle-income countries, women and children are most affected by shortages as they are ones who need blood most.
To ensure that everyone who needs transfusion has access to safe blood, all countries need voluntary, unpaid blood donors who give blood regularly.
Giving blood is a life-saving act of solidarity with others. Services providing safe blood and blood products are essential for every health care system.
Wide participation of the population and regular blood donations ensure that everyone can access blood when they need it.
All blood donors together provide a precious safeguard for patients and communities.
An enabling social and cultural atmosphere with strong solidarity facilitates the development of an effective blood donor programme.
The act of blood donation helps strengthen social ties and build a supportive community.

Theme for World Blood Donor Day 2022 | Know your theme

This year’s theme is “Donating blood is an act of solidarity. Join the effort and save lives” focusing on the urgency to increase the number of donors. Donated blood can help treat and support people suffering from chronic health diseases and complications

Who Can give blood ?

Who can give blood?

Most people can give blood if they are in good health. There are some basic requirements one need to fulfill in order to become a blood donor. Below are some basic eligibility guidelines:

Age

You are aged between 18 and 65.

In some countries national legislation permits 16–17 year-olds to donate provided that they fulfil the physical and hematological criteria required and that appropriate consent is obtained.
In some countries, regular donors over the age of 65 may be accepted at the discretion of the responsible physician. The upper age limit in some countries are 60.

Weight

You weight is at least 50 kg.

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

Health

You must be in good health at the time you donate.

You cannot donate if you have a cold, flu, sore throat, cold sore, stomach bug or any other infection.

If you have recently had a tattoo or body piercing you cannot donate for 6 months from the date of the procedure. If the body piercing was performed by a registered health professional and any inflammation has settled completely, you can donate blood after 12 hours.

If you have visited the dentist for a minor procedure you must wait 24 hours before donating; for major work wait a month.

You must not donate blood If you do not meet the minimum haemoglobin level for blood donation:

A test will be administered at the donation site. In many countries, a haemoglobin level of not less than 12.0 g/dl for females and not less than 13.0 g/dl for males as the threshold.

Travel

Travel to areas where mosquito-borne infections are endemic, e.g. malaria, dengue and Zika virus infections, may result in a temporary deferral.

Many countries also implemented the policy to defer blood donors with a history of travel or residence for defined cumulative exposure periods in specified countries or areas, as a measure to reduce the risk of transmitting variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) by blood transfusion.

Behaviours

You must not give blood:

If you engaged in “at risk” sexual activity in the past 12 months
Individuals with behaviours below will be deferred permanently:
Have ever had a positive test for HIV (AIDS virus)
Have ever injected recreational drugs.

In the national blood donor selection guidelines, there are more behavior eligibility criteria. Criteria could be different in different countries.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

Following pregnancy, the deferral period should last as many months as the duration of the pregnancy.

It is not advisable to donate blood while breast-feeding. Following childbirth, the deferral period is at least 9 months (as for pregnancy) and until 3 months after your baby is significantly weaned (i.e. getting most of his/her nutrition from solids or bottle feeding).

More info : who.int

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