People Urged To Save Mothers On World Blood Donor Day

Every year, on 14 June, countries around the world celebrate World Blood Donor Day (WBDD). 

The event, established in 2004, serves to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products and to thank blood donors for their voluntary life-saving gifts of blood.

World Blood Donor Day is one of eight official global public health campaigns marked by the World Health Organization (WHO), along with World Health Day, World Tuberculosis Day, World Immunization Week, World Malaria Day, World No Tobacco Day, World Hepatitis Day, and World AIDS Day.

The focus of this year's World Blood Donor Day campaign is "Safe blood for saving mothers". 

Every day, about 800 women die from pregnancy or childbirth-related complications. 

Severe bleeding during delivery and after childbirth is a major cause of mortality, morbidity and long-term disability. 

The goal of the campaign is to increase awareness about why timely access to safe blood and blood products is essential for all countries as part of a comprehensive approach to prevent maternal deaths.

"Give blood for those who give life", the World Health Organization (WHO) has urged on World Blood Donor day observed annually on 14 June.

The UN agency is calling on people to donate "safe blood to save mothers" and is asking countries to improve access to that blood.

Sub-Saharan Africa, which has the highest maternal mortality rate in the world of 510 deaths per 100 000 live births, also has the lowest blood donation rates.

Dr Neelam Dhingra is the Coordinator for Blood Transfusion Safety at WHO:

"Every day, worldwide, around 800 women die due to complications during pregnancy and childbirth. Severe bleeding during pregnancy and childbirth is the single biggest cause of maternal mortality and an urgent need for safe blood supplies is essential to save lives of these women, who require transfusion at the time of childbirth."

About 108 million blood donations are collected worldwide every year.
Almost half of these are collected in high-income countries.
In many low- and middle-income countries, blood supply is critically inadequate.


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