World Blood Donor Day 2023: Date, History and Interesting Facts about the World Blood Donor Day

1781

6 min read

June 14 is celebrated as World Blood Donor Day every year to raise awareness about the significance of blood donation. Blood donation not just helps the healthcare industry but the range of its uses are much beyond. In this post, we will discuss the various features of World Blood Donor Day.

History of World Blood Donor Day

Richard Lower, an English physician, was the first person who used the science of blood donation with animals and successfully transfused blood between two dogs. Later, Karl Landsteiner, an American biologist, physician, and immunologist discovered the system of ABO human blood type to determine donors. Soon, blood transfusions became a common topic in the health industry.

Blood donor day was first initiated in May 2005 at the 58th World Health Assembly where it was decided to assign a day as World Blood Donor Day to be celebrated as an annual event held on 14th June to commemorate the birthday of Karl Landsteiner.

The day aims at raising awareness about the need for blood donation on a regular basis, to have a supply of blood for emergencies, and to appreciate the dedication of health workers working in the field of research and development. It is also observed as a day to thank blood donors from across the globe for their efforts towards saving lives and making the earth a better place to live.

You deserve the best of health insurance!
Answer a few simple questions to determine the ideal plan that suits you best at PayBima Health Advisory.

Timeline of World Blood Donor Day

  • On April 7, 2000 ‘Safe Blood Starts with Me’ was chosen as the theme of World Health Day
  • On May 2005 at the 58th World Health Assembly, the World Blood Donor Day was initiated and implemented
  • On June 11, 2009, the Melbourne Declaration was established where a goal was set for every country globally to receive blood supplies from voluntary donors
  • On December 6, 2013, the largest blood donation drive was held, which broke all records with the participation of over 61,902 blood donors across India

Interesting Facts About World Blood and World Blood Donor Day

  • The amount of blood in an adult person on an average is 10 -12 pints
  • The shelf life of red blood cells in 42 days
  • It takes about 10-15 minutes to donate blood
  • Once you donate blood, you must wait for 56 days before you could donate again
  • 1 million people are diagnosed with cancer every year
  • Time taken to donate platelets is 90 minutes
  • There are 8 types of blood; A+, B+, AB+, O+, A-, B-, AB- and O- (including both positive and negative Rh factor)
  • People with O blood group can give blood to everyone and are known as universal donors
  • Blood is made of 4 elements – white blood cells, red blood cells, platelets and plasma

Why is World Blood Donor Day Important?

World Blood Donor Day is important because:

  • It saves lives of millions of people who need blood for transfusion, or to heal after accidents and other diseases etc.
  • There is always a need for blood as millions of people expect blood to cure their diseases and live a better life
  • Blood requirement is a global need as each and every country need enough supply of blood

Visual Stories by PayBima

What are the Health Benefits of Donating Blood?

World Blood Donor Day takes place on 14 June each year. Many people fear donating blood as they think it might cause health issues. However, donating blood regularly is likely to help in keeping BP low and lowers the risk of heart attacks too.

The first question that any person willing to donate blood asks is ‘Can I donate blood?’ Is there any blood donation side effects or health issues that I may face after donating blood? The answer to the first question is – any healthy person above the age of 18 can donate blood. And as far as the second question goes, most people do not face any side effects after donating blood. However, some might face symptoms like dizziness and nausea in certain cases.  Or some might also experience weakness for some time after donating blood. However, some might face symptoms like dizziness, nausea or weakness after donating blood.

Further, not many people are aware that June 14 is celebrated as World Blood Donor Day every year. This day is marked to create awareness about blood donation and its need for saving lives. This day is also marked to show gratitude to the donors who regularly donate blood to help save human lives. Let us take a look at some important aspects related to blood donation that interests everyone.

Blood donation is a noble but many people are scared of its side effects as they are of the view that it may cause harm to their health. Thus, they stay away from donating blood. However, the fact is rather than getting side effects, blood donation allows the donor to receive certain benefits in terms of their health. Yes, there are numerous health benefits of donating blood and the world blood donor day 2023 makes sure that people come to know about these benefits so that more and more people come ahead to do this noble job. The theme of world blood donor day 2023 is, “Donating blood is an act of solidarity. Join the effort and save lives”. So make sure to join the spirit of this day on 14 June for World Blood Donor Day.

Also Read: What Are the Pros & Cons of Health Insurance Portability?

Advantages of Blood Donation 

  • One very important benefit of donating blood is that it helps in removing the iron deposits, which are harmful and are stored in the body.
  • The clearing of these iron deposits helps in restricting cardiovascular diseases, hemochromatosis etc. This way you can also keep your liver and pancreas healthy by means of replenishing blood.
  • Thus, by donating blood on a regular basis you can keep a check on the iron stores of your body to limit  the risk of heart attacks too.
  • Further, since your body restores the lost blood in almost 48 hours, it makes you healthier and enhance your efficiency.
  • Also, it is said that blood donation enhances mental health as it reduces stress and augments emotional happiness.

Conclusion 

To observe the world blood donor day, one can donate blood and spread the word about the benefits of blood donation. This way more and more people will come forward to donate blood voluntarily. You can also look for an event close to you where you can participate and help maximize the blood donation drive.

Further, you have also come to know about the facts like, when is world blood donor day celebrated and why is world blood donor day celebrated. So, make sure to participate in blood donation campaigns this blood donor day 2023 as much as possible.

Found this post informational?

Browse PayBima Blogs to read interesting posts related to Health Insurance, Car Insurance, Bike Insurance, Term Life Insurance, and Investment section. You can visit PayBima to Buy Insurance Online.

Also, check out the PayBima’s Guide and Glossary section –

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by paybima (@paybima)

FAQs: World Blood Donor Day 2023: Date and History

How much is 1 unit blood in ml?

One unit blood is 350 ml and this is the normal amount of blood that a healthy person can donate at one time. Most adults have over 5 – 6 litre  of blood in their body and 350 ml is the amount that can be safely donated once in every 3 months by a healthy person.

Can I face any health issues after giving blood? 

Normally, most people do not face any health issue after donating blood as it is a healthy process. Further, donors can easily replenish the amount of blood donated within 4 weeks to 8 weeks time, while the blood plasma gets refilled within just 48 hours of donating blood.

Can my immune system get affected by donating blood?

The red blood cells (RBCs) might lessen if you donate blood and it might show a temporary drop in some immune cells such as antibodies etc. However, the good news is that these antibodies are produced very quickly by your body if they are required. Further, your blood also returns to normalcy within just a couple of weeks.

Who all should not donate blood? Can we donate blood after tattoo?

Following are the people who should not donate blood:

Individuals who have low BP or low blood count.
People who are suffering from any infection.
People who have common cold and cough.
People who have had antibiotics to treat any illness.
Underweight people should not donate blood
People who did body piercing (tattoo) should stay away from donating blood

Also, another common question is can diabetics donate blood ? Diabetics who are on insulin must not donate blood. (But those with normal glucose level in blood can donate blood). People suffering from kidney ailments or ailments related to blood vessel should also not donate blood.

What is the Process to donate blood without feeling nausea?

To avoid getting nausea the donor must consume lots of fluids along with a healthy food item like a regular meal before donating blood.
They should refrain from taking hot shower or staying in too hot surroundings.
They should refrain from vigorous activity like exercise and should refrain from keep standing for long duration.
Rest well on the night prior to donating blood.
If you still feel like fainting, just lie down for some time and let the blood flow to reach the brain.
Eat more iron-rich foods once you donate blood to recover fast.

Can smokers donate blood?

Yes, smokers are allowed to donate blood. However, they should refrain from smoking 12 hours before and 3 hours after the blood donation process. Since smoking might increase BP, which is harmful if you are planning to donate blood.

How frequently can a person donate blood?

For regular donors, 56 days is the limit after which they can start donating blood again. As such, most people can replenish blood within 28 days to 56 days, so that is the prescribed number of days that one should wait before they could donate blood again.  On the other hand, plasma can be donated after every 28 days only. A person can donate plasma as many as 13 times a year, whereas for donating  platelets you need a gap of 7 days, and you can donate plasma for over 24 times in a year.  The same is 112 days gap in case of red blood cells, which can be donated 3 in a year.

When is world blood donor day 2023?

World Blood Donor Day is observed on June 14 every year.

What is the Rh factor

Rh means Rhesus factor. This is a protein present on the surface of red blood cells. Individuals with Rh factor in blood are said to have positive blood type and those who lack this factor have a negative blood group.

What’s the shelf life of donated blood?

RBCs or red blood cells can be stored for up to 42 days. Plasma can be stored for over a year if stored in a frozen state. However, platelets can be stored for just 5 days.

Where can I donate blood?

You can do so in the Red Cross societies, hospitals, health centres etc.

Other Health Insurance Products

May 27, 2022
SHARE THIS ON
Author Bio
Author Image

PayBima Team
PayBima is an Indian insurance aggregator on a mission to make insurance simple for people. PayBima is the Digital arm of the already established and trusted Mahindra Insurance Brokers Ltd., a reputed name in the insurance broking industry with 17 years of experience. PayBima promises you the easy-to-access online platform to buy insurance policies, and also extend their unrelented assistance with all your policy related queries and services.

Related Blogs

Would love to hear from you

Share your candid feedback. Your email address won’t be published, we promise!

All fields are required

Find your suitable insurance plan

Speak to our advisor

Latest Posts

Mahindra Insurance Brokers Limited (A Mahindra Group Company) - Unit-202, A-Wing, 2nd Floor, Amiti Building, Agastya Corporate Park, Kamani Junction, LBS Marg, Kurla West, Mumbai - 400070. Tel: +91 22 66423800

Licenced by IRDAI License No. 261; License Validity : 17-05-2025; Category : Composite Broker; CIN : U65990MH1987PLCO42609 Member of Insurance Brokers Association of India (IBAI).

Insurance is the subject matter of solicitation.

For a seamless experience, use the latest version of Chrome/Firefox/Internet Explorer.

Copyright © 2024 Mahindra Insurance Brokers. All Right Reserved.

Get A Call Back
Get A Call Back