14 June – World Blood Donor Day

P. A. Chacko

Donate blood to save lives

P. A. Chacko

World Blood Donor Day is observed on 14 June every year to raise awareness about the urgency of blood donation all over the world and to acknowledge and appreciate blood donors for their support.

The need for safe blood is universal

Safe blood is needed to save lives

Safe blood is needed for medical and surgical procedures

Safe blood is needed for treating the wounded

Requirements:

Donor Eligibility:

• You must be in good health and feeling well
• You must be  aged between 18 and 65
• If aged 16-17, need of  parental consent

• Donation frequency: Every 56 days 
• You must weigh at least 50 KG

Warning

• You cannot donate :
• if you have a cold, flu, sore throat, cold sore, stomach bug or any other infection, fits, tuberculosis, asthma, allergic disorders
• 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.
• 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).

No blood donation

• By HIV  positive persons
• By those suffering from cardiac arrest, hypertension, blood pressure, cancer, epilepsy, kidney ailments, and diabetes
• Individuals immunized in the past one month
• Individuals treated for rabies or received hepatitis B vaccine e in the past six months
• Consumed alcohol in the past 24 hours
• Women with miscarriage in the past six months
• Have ever injected recreational drugs.
• During pregnancy period