World Blood Donor Day - Thursday 14 May

World Blood Donor Day – Thursday 14 May

Ensuring Safe Blood for New Babies and Mothers

World Blood Donor Day ‘07 highlights how important blood donors are to ensuring that new babies and mothers have access to a safe and consistent supply of blood and blood products.

‘Safe Blood for Safe Motherhood’; the international theme for tomorrow’s World Blood Donor Day, emphasises the need for more people to become blood donors in order to ensure that as wide a pool of donors as possible is available.

Of all blood donated, six percent is given to new babies and mothers. However the blood types required during this time can often be limited in supply. Four out of five New Zealanders will need blood or blood products at some point during their lifetime yet only four out of one hundred (4%) New Zealanders actually donate.

Clinical Leader of National Women's & Starship Children's Health at Auckland Hospital, Dr David Knight says that newborns, especially those born pre-term, are at particular risk:

“In the fragile bodies of premature babies, blood is so precious that only about a thimble of the right kind of blood can save lives. Preterm babies may be underdeveloped and their extremely sensitive immune systems can be easily traumatised by blood transfusions. It is essential that there is a wide pool of donors to ensure that the correct blood types are always available.”

There are four key areas in which blood transfusions and blood products play a critical role for mothers and newborns:
· Antepartum/Postpartum transfusions
· Neonatal transfusions
· Anti-D injections
· Intrauterine transfusions

Says Dr Knight, “Significant changes to lifestyle trends in recent years have dramatically affected the need for blood and blood products: Women choosing to have children later in life, an increase in Caesarean sections, and even the rise in conditions such as obesity and hypertension, have all increased the risk of complications during pregnancy and childbirth and therefore potential blood needs.”

New Zealand Blood Service ensures that all New Zealanders have access to the right blood and blood products, should they be necessary. They are here to plan for the unexpected.

Chief Executive of New Zealand Blood Service, Fiona Ritsma, says “World Blood Donor Day is a global initiative designed to raise the profile of blood donation and to thank the many people who are already donors and without whom we would be unable to meet the needs of healthcare professionals. But we also need to encourage more people to donate more regularly if we are to ensure a consistent supply of blood and blood products in the future. Overall we are seeing a year on year decline in donors.”

The New Zealand Blood Service urges all healthy New Zealanders to become donors. Those people who have O Rh negative blood type are especially sought, as this blood can be used universally and is critical in emergency situations.

However, in order to ensure that this blood type can be easily called upon, it is essential to encourage donors of every blood type to widen the pool of blood and blood products that are available.

To register to become a blood donor, call 0800 GIVE BLOOD to make an appointment.

ENDS

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