World Blood Donor Day on 14th June, noted 8 more countries in the region are aware of their blood needs

​On 14th June each year, World Blood Donor Day is celebrated, to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood components, and to thank donors for a gift that saves lives. This year's campaign focused on blood donation during emergencies, under the theme "What can you do? Donate blood. Donate now. Donate often.”
 
According to a report from PAHO, less than half of blood donors are volunteers in Latin America and the Caribbean. While the percentage of voluntary blood donors grew from 38.5% to 44.1% between 2013 and 2015 in the region, it is still far from reaching the 100% level recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), to ensure a sufficient and safe blood supply for transfusions.
 
Blood transfusions are an essential component of emergency medical care. Adequate blood supply during emergencies requires a well-organized blood transfusion service, which can only be ensured with the collaboration of the entire community and with a donor population committed to voluntary unpaid donations throughout the year.
 
The report, which includes data from 36 countries in the region, also stated that only two countries from Latin America, and eight from the Caribbean, got all their blood donations from voluntary unpaid donors.
 
Other findings in the report show that more countries today, 14 compared to 6 countries in 2011, are now aware of their blood needs at the national level, which facilitates collection planning. Currently, 23 countries in the region (14 in Latin America and 9 in the Caribbean), have a national blood policy, 5 more countries than in 2011.