Tomorrow, June 14, World Blood Donor Day is celebrated worldwide, a date that serves to raise awareness about the need for safe blood and blood products and at the same time thank those who donate blood altruistically.
And you may ask, why do they talk to us about this day in Babies and more? Because this year the motto of the campaign is related to maternal mortality. Blood donation is a gift that saves many lives of women who give birth: "Safe blood to save the parturients".
And, as noted by WHO, timely access to safe blood and blood products is important in all countries in the context of a comprehensive approach that also includes the prevention of maternal mortality.
In the world, mainly in developing countries, about 800 women die every day from pregnancy and childbirth complications. Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia are the most affected areas and the highest risk of maternal mortality corresponds to adolescents under 15 years of age.
Hemorrhages during childbirth and the puerperium can be serious and then constitute an important cause of mortality, morbidity and long-term disability.
Transfusions could save many of these mothers (and this is usually done in our environment when the emergency occurs), but access to sufficient blood and safe blood products remains problematic in many countries.
These are the objectives of this year's global campaign:
That the ministries of health, especially in countries with high rates of maternal mortality, take concrete measures to ensure that the health centers in their countries improve the access of parturients to safe blood and blood products from voluntary donors.
That the national blood services of countries with high rates of maternal mortality focus the activities and products of their 2014 campaign on safe blood for parturients.
That programs and alliances on maternal health participate in this campaign.
That WHO and partners around the world explain how the safe blood of voluntary donors can save the lives of parturients around the world.
There will be many activities related to this topic in different fields, but also from here we wanted to promote the theme of World Blood Donor Day, a donor who can also save lives of parturients.
