Tag: World Blood Donor Day

World Blood Donor Day: Fairer assessment for blood donors

Eligibility for blood donation updated

Changes to the questions people are asked before they are accepted as blood donors come into effect today – meaning all potential donors are treated the same.  

The changes, implemented on World Blood Donor Day, will allow more men who have sex with men, and people whose partners have previously lived in areas such as sub-Saharan Africa, to give blood if they meet the other blood donation criteria.

Questions about recent sexual activity will be the same for all donors, regardless of their sexuality.

The changes follow recommendations by the specialist research group For Assessment of Individualised Risk (FAIR), made up of leading medical and academic experts and LGBTI+ groups. The new questions will mean that people will still be unable to donate where there is evidence of recent sexual activity that could lead to a higher risk of a donor having blood-borne virus infection.

Public Health Minister Maree Todd said: “I welcome the changes being made today and am grateful to everyone who currently gives blood and everyone who wants to give blood in future. Your support is vital to save lives and ensure our NHS has enough blood components to meet the needs of all those who will need a blood transfusion.

“Previous rules meant that automatic time bars were in place for a number of people, including men who have sex with men. It’s clear that such a blanket approach was simply not fair – not least to gay and bisexual men in committed relationships.

“There are also some people who have partners who previously lived in sub-Saharan Africa, but have been in the UK for a long time. These changes to the questions will allow more people in these groups to donate, and continue to ensure the blood supplied to our hospitals is safe.”

Development Manager for the Equality Network Scott Cuthbertson said: “I’ve been campaigning on the issue of blood donation for gay and bisexual men for over 15 years, and I welcome the support of Scottish Ministers in approving this change.

“For me this was never about a right to give, but the fact that there were many gay and bisexual men that could do so safely.

“I’m pleased the evidence, assessed by experts, has concluded that to be true, and that many thousands of gay and bisexual men will be able to donate their blood and help save lives.

“Today, during Pride Month, I’m proud to donate my blood for the first time alongside many other gay and bisexual men across the UK as the rules are changed to be fairer for all.”

Pete Townshend’s music amplifies Blood Donor Day celebrations

  • Musician Pete Townshend has given permission for his classic song ‘Give Blood’ to be used for the first time to promote blood donation. Global Blood Fund, a charity focused on encouraging voluntary blood donation, has produced world-music interpretations in multiple languages for international use to inspire a new generation of blood donors.
  • World Blood Donor Day on 14 June is one of only nine official WHO Global Health Days, celebrating each year the vital contributions of tens of millions of blood donors around the world in enabling hospital procedures and saving lives. This year’s event is especially important as global pandemic has devastated worldwide blood collection.

To celebrate World Blood Donor Day today (14 June), the charity Global Blood Fund (GBF) has released multiple interpretations of Pete Townshend’s song ‘Give Blood’, performed by leading musicians from around the world.

Set to video to encourage sharing on social media and through other channels, these are being donated by the charity free-of-charge to blood services in low and middle-income countries throughout Africa, Latin America and the Middle-East for use on and around World Blood Donor Day.

Pete Townshend, guitarist and principal songwriter for the legendary rock band The Who comments; “Although it is now more than 35 years since I wrote the song ‘Give Blood’, this is the first time it has actually been used to encourage donation.

“Shortage of blood around the world is a huge issue, particularly in poorer countries, and so I was delighted to give permission for Global Blood Fund to use my work to help communicate the need for more donors to come forward.”

The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that the minimum number of units of blood needed to sustain an adequate level of health equals 1% of a nation’s population – 10 units per 1000 people.

Yet many poorer countries fall well short of this goal. The lack of infrastructure and equipment for collection and processing of blood components is a key impediment to providing a sustainable blood supply, as is a severe shortage of volunteer donors.

Though blood and safe transfusion services are essential parts of any strong health system, the safety, sustainability and adequacy of blood remains a major health challenge for numerous countries.

GBF’s Executive Director, Gavin Evans, explains the thinking behind the approach. “Each year it becomes harder for messages about the importance of blood donation to cut through to the public, even though tens of thousands tragically die because of blood shortages.

“But with music such an influential part of people’s lives – especially in many of those countries that struggle most to collect enough blood – for 2021 we are using lyrics and melody to highlight the extraordinary impact of donor generosity.

“Not only do these individuals help save the lives of those in need of a blood transfusion, but the benefit to family, friends and the wider community of helping that patient recover is also profound. Using music as the medium, we think we have some really powerful messaging – and a great set of songs that people will enjoy in their own right.”

Working closely with national and regional blood services around the world, the music tracks will be released through multiple channels in the run up to 14 June, with national blood services encouraged to ‘get creative’ in how they use materials; as young donors in Bungoma County in Kenya did here and in Cameroon here.

Evans adds; “Our hope is that thousands of new life-saving blood donors will come forward in all the countries using these materials.”

The following versions of the song, which are featured in a purpose-made video, are being released:

As well as YouTube links above, all materials can also be accessed via: 

https://globalbloodfund.org/wbdd-resources/