World Blood Donor Day
June 14, 2017
Slogan for 2017: “What can you do? Give blood. Give now. Give often”.
No-one knows when disaster will strike. But every disaster has victims, and many victims need blood. So what can you do? Don’t wait until disaster strikes. Give blood. Give now. Give often.
World Blood Donor Day is celebrated every year by the people in many countries around the world on 14 June to commemorate the birthday anniversary of Karl Landsteiner, born on June 14, 1868, (a great scientist who won the Nobel Prize for his great discovery of the ABO blood group system)
What is ABO Blood group system?
ABO blood group system, the classification of human blood based on the inherited properties of red blood cells (erythrocytes) as determined by the presence or absence of the antigens A and B, which are carried on the surface of the red cells. Persons may thus have type A, type B, type O, or type AB blood.
The lives and health of millions of people are affected by emergencies every year. In the last decade, disasters have caused more than 1 million deaths, with more than 250 million people being affected by emergencies every year. Natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods and storms create considerable needs for emergency health care, while at the same time, often destroying vital health facilities as well. Man-made disasters such as road accidents and armed conflicts also generate substantial health care demands and the need for front-line treatment.
An adequate supply can only be assured through regular donations by voluntary unpaid blood donors. The WHO’s goal is for all countries to obtain all their blood supplies from voluntary unpaid donors by 2020.
Source: www.en.wikipedia.org / www.who.int
Image Credit: www.who.int
