2009 Melbourne declaration calls on countries by 2020to ensure one hundred per cent of voluntary unpaid blood donation. It calls for scaling up blood donation by increasing awareness about the vital role of blood transfusions.
The range of events of the World Blood Donor Day widens every year as a tribute to growing recognition of the selfless donors who give their blood for the people who they will never meet with.
This year the World Health Organization (WHO) has urged the public of every country to join the campaign of World Blood Donor Day – “Paint the world red”. For this they have proposed to symbolically paint in red, to drape with red cloths or illuminate with red light, monuments, popular attractions and buildings; to include in the set design of artistic, cultural or musical events red color.
To save lives and improve the health of people around the world at least 90 million doses of blood are donated each year. Nevertheless, the demand for blood transfusion continues to grow, and many countries are not able to meet existing needs.
Blood and blood products are necessary for routine and emergency surgical operations, including treatment for an increasing number of people receiving injuries from road traffic accidents, as well as for the treatment of congenital blood disorders. More than 70 countries of the world have blood donation below the level which is generally considered necessary to meet the country’s basic needs in blood, namely, when the donors constitute 1% of the population.
Source: http://www.un.org
