THE Cyprus Blood Bank yesterday thanked donors across the island for their selfless contributions.
The thank you was extended in light of tomorrow’s World Blood Donor Day (WBDD).
“The sensitivity of thousands of blood donors has classed Cyprus as fully self-sufficient in blood, despite our huge daily needs,” the statement said.
“The least we can do as a Blood Bank is to express our warmest wishes to all blood donors and to call on them to always be by our side, beside our compatriots, who need them. Special gratitude must be given to the young, who once again were first in line, starting their blood donations from the Lyceum and National Guard,” it added.
According to the WBDD website the June 14 event is not intended to replace events such as national Blood Donor Days, but provides a special opportunity for a united, global celebration on a day that has particular significance: the birthday of Karl Landsteiner, the Nobel prize winner who discovered the ABO blood group system.
“While it is hoped that World Blood Donor Day will create wider awareness of the importance of voluntary blood donation and encourage more people to become regular blood donors, the purpose is not to attract a big influx of new donors on June 14. Rather, it is designed to celebrate and thank those individuals who voluntarily donate their blood without any reward other than the knowledge that they have helped to save lives, particularly those who give blood on a regular basis two, three or more times each year,” the website said.
The day also aims to provide an opportunity to highlight the fact that voluntary non-remunerated blood donors are the foundation of a safe blood supply because they are associated with significantly lower levels of infections that can be transmitted by transfusion, including HIV and hepatitis viruses. Screening for transfusion-transmissible infections is essential, but the safest donations come from the safest donors.
June 14 has been selected as World Blood Donor Day by three major organisations working for voluntary non-remunerated blood donation: the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Federation of Blood Donor Organizations and the International Society of Blood Transfusion. These organisations have been joined by the World Health Organization, which is co-sponsoring the event. Between them, they represent 192 Member States, 181 national Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, 50 national voluntary blood donor organizations and blood transfusion specialists throughout the world.
