World Blood Donor Day: Each year, June 14 is observed as World Blood Donor Day. The day is marked to raise awareness about the importance of blood donations. Millions of people across the globe choose to donate blood and plasma. These blood donors help save the lives of individuals who are afflicted with serious ailments (blood-related or otherwise) and help the patients continue their treatment, increasing their chances of survival.
Who Can Donate Blood?
According to the National Blood Transfusion Council of India (NBTC), any healthy adult, both male and female, can donate blood. Men can donate safely once every three months while women can donate every four months.
Basic Eligibility Guidelines:
- Age between 18 and 65 years
- Should not be less than 45 Kilograms.
- Haemoglobin - not less than 12.5 g/Dl
- Blood Pressure -Systolic 100-180 mm Hg and Diastolic 50 - 100 mm Hg
- Pulse - between 50 and 100/minute with no irregularities
- Not been treated for Rabies or received Hepatitis B immune globulin in the past one year
- Not had a tattoo, ear or skin piercing or acupuncture, no serious illness or major surgery, no contact with a person with hepatitis or yellow jaundice in past six months
- Not donated blood or been treated for malaria in past three months
- Shoule be free from Diabetes, not suffering from chest pain, heart disease or high BP, cancer, blood clotting problem or blood disease, unexplained fever, weight loss, fatigue, night sweats, enlarged lymph nodes in armpits, neck or groin, white patches in the mouth etc.
- Can't donate if you ever had TB, bronchial asthma or allergic disorder, liver disease, kidney disease, fits or fainting, blue or purple spots on the skin or mucous membranes, or received human pituitary - growth hormones etc