Before we dive into the details of World Blood Donor Day, lets ask ourselves two questions. Firstly Have you ever donated blood? And if you have, When was the last time that you donated blood ?
June 14 is the birthday of Karl Landsteiner, the Nobel Laureate who discovered the ABO Blood System. This is the system based on which different types of blood is differentiated. He and Alexander S. Wiener later discovered the Rhesus Factor, and made blood transfusion safe.
World Blood Donor Day is celebrated since 2004. With the theme of the year 2020 being “Safe blood saves lives“, the World Health Organisation focuses to encourage more people to donate blood. It also aims to raise awareness about the need of safe blood and blood products.
Benefits of Blood Donation on World Blood Donor Day
- Reduce chances of Hemochromatosis : Regular blood donation prevents the medical condition where iron exceeds the normal amounts.
- Reduce Cholesterol : Regular blood donation helps you reduce blood cholesterol to a certain limit.
- Regenerate Blood : Blood Donation makes your body produce more blood to replenish old stock.
- Free Health Check : Every time you donate blood, a full checkup is done. This includes a full diagnostics on your blood, that too for free.
- Blood for Blood : In certain blood banks, if you donate blood without any direct recipient, you get a donor card. And this card is liable to be exchanged for a unit of blood for you or your direct relatives for a unit of blood.M
Tips for Blood Donors
Discover East compiles a list of tips for blood donors on the occasion of World Blood Donor Day.
- Eat a heavy meal : Make sure heat a loaded meal not more than 2 hours before donation.
- Stay hydrated : The immediate effect of blood donation is the decrease of body water. So make sure to have at least half a litre of liquid before and after donating blood.
- No alcohol before and after : Do not consume alcohol for at least 24 hours before and after donating.
- No Physical Activities : Do not try to do anything related to heavy physical labor for about 12 hours after donation.
- Relax : Be relaxed while donating. Listen to music or talk to the medical staff. Do not get out of the chair for at least 15 minutes after donation.
- Have something sweet : A sweet snack or dessert is good a few minutes after donating. It helps to get the blood glucose to normal levels.
- More, the merrier : Try to go along with your friends. Its always fun to do such an activity with people that you know.
These were some important details to keep in mind for World Blood Donor Day. Read how safe it is to donate blood during the Covid-19 pandemic in this article. Keep donating blood and keep saving lives.
(Feature image source: Blue Cross MN)
