World Blood Donor Day 2019: Here's why and when it is celebrated

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Every year, June 14 is celebrated as World Blood Donor Day in order to raise awareness about blood donation, since its inception in 2005. The World Blood Donor Day event is one of eight global public health campaigns led by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and serves to "thank voluntary, unpaid blood donors for their life-saving gifts of blood."

World Blood Donor Day is also celebrated to raise awareness of the need for regular blood donations to ensure that all individuals and communities across boundaries have access to affordable and timely supplies of safe and quality-assured blood. This year, the host country for World Blood Donor Day 2019 is Rwanda and the theme for World Blood Donor Day 2019 is 'Safe blood for all'.

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Transfusion of blood and blood products have helped in saving millions of lives every year. And it is this very reason that in May 2005, during the Fifty-Eighth World Health Assembly, ministers of health from across the world made a unanimous declaration of commitment and support towards voluntary blood donation. The assembly designated World Blood Donor Day as an annual event to be held each year on June 14.

2019 Theme: Safe Blood for All!

The theme for this year's World Blood Donor Day is "Safe Blood for all" and it aims to raise awareness of the universal need for safe blood in the delivery of health care and services. It also lays emphasises on the crucial roles that voluntary donations play in achieving the goal of universal health coverage. This year's theme of "Safe Blood for all" strongly encourages people across the globe to become blood donors and donate blood regularly, in order to save many more lives.

Also Read: 10 interesting facts about blood donation

On the occasion of World Blood Donor Day, here's what you can do:

• Become a blood donor today and help in saving lives
• Be a regular blood donor and donate throughout the year
• Encourage your friends, family, and colleagues to become regular blood donors
• Find out your blood type and register yourself as a blood donor
• Participate in local World Blood Donor Day events
• And finally, bring a smile on someone's face besides saving their lives

So, whether you donate blood or not, always remember, every few seconds, someone, somewhere, needs blood. So, on the occasion of World Blood Donor Day, pledge to donate blood and help to save lives.

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