2011 World Blood Donor Day CDC goodwill message (June 14, 2011)

June 14, 2011

US Embassy staff donating blood during the 2011 World Blood Donor Day in Abuja Embassy

This day is set aside by the World Health Organization to recognize and appreciate voluntary, unpaid blood donors whose sole motivation for donating blood is to save the lives of people.   The day also marks the birthday of Karl Landsteiner, who discovered the ABO blood group system and was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1930.

The theme for this year; "More blood, More life" calls for more people to donate blood voluntarily to save the lives of women who bleed during pregnancy, children who lost blood through diseases, those who sustain injuries from various causes and those undergoing operations and other medical treatment.

The cost of preventing infections arising from transfusion is significantly lower compared to the cost of one year treatment for a patient infected with HIV and any of the blood transmissible infections not to talk of the social implications of these infections. An investment in safe and adequate blood supply is a cost-effective investment in the health and economic wealth of every nation.

It is therefore unacceptable and unethical for any individual to get infected with any disease from blood transfusion considering the weight of knowledge and technologies available.
I call on government to provide autonomy and the enabling legislation to empower the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) to regulate and enforce blood transfusion services in the country.

As part of our responsibility to humanity and support for this cause, we implore you to create awareness about blood donation and make out time to donate that precious life-saving unit of blood that someone may need today.

 The campaign slogan of "Paint the world red" is encouraging us to do all the nice things decorating our environment with red colours and saying thank you to those national heroes who donate for the sake of others.
I thank all of you especially does receiving awards today for a life-long commitment to this course.

CDC and the entire US Mission in Nigeria is proud of her partnership with government of Nigeria to provide safe and sufficient blood supply for the country.

Thanks you for the good work.