World Blood Donor Day 2017 : What Can You Do ?

So it’s 14th of June, 2017…..The World Blood Donor Day 2017. On World Blood Donor Day, The World Health Organization is emphasizing the role that every individual can play in preparing for the next unforeseen emergency by giving blood now.

A lot of us hear the word “blood” and already get queasy. But then I think it is really important that we understood the concept behind the World Blood Donor Day.

The celebration started in the year 2004 to thank and celebrate blood donors around the world. With all the advancement made in modern medicine, there still isn’t a perfect substitute for blood in the transfusion process. For this reason, you can probably view the donors as heroes.

Around the world, it is still seen that people die from excessive bleeding. Post partum hemorrhage (bleeding) is the leading cause of maternal mortality. The truth is, you can never know how much of a difference it will make in someone’s life, which is why we are all advised to donate blood how often we can.

However, here are a few other things to know before going to donate blood ;

• Maintain a diet rich in iron by eating foods such as red meat, poultry products, fish, beans etc. prior to the time
• Get a good nights sleep
• Lay off the alcohol
• Avoid fatty foods i.e. hamburgers. This is because the presence of excess fats in the blood makes it almost impossible to test the blood for infectious diseases during the screening process.

Note that certain disease conditions like hypertension render you unsuitable to be a donor, so ask your physician for clarity.

Read also : Ignorant Activities That You Do Frequently That Gets Your Kidney Damaged

To be honest, blood donation sounds scary to a lot of people. I was terrified when I donated blood, but it’s quite an interesting experience. And today, I feel good knowing my blood has probably saved someone’s life out there.

It is not compulsory that you make your donation today, it could be tomorrow, next week, next month or even next year.

No one knows when disaster will strike. But every disaster has victims, and many victims need blood. So, what can you do ? Don’t wait until disaster strikes.

Give blood. Give now. Give often.

Happy World Blood Donor Day 2017 from Sound Health Doctor

 

Author Bio

This article was written by Ngini Chinazom, a medical student of the College of Medicine, University of Lagos.