The World Blood Donor Day 2020 slogan is to Give blood and make the world a healthier place. On 14 June every year, nations around the world celebrate World Blood Donor Day. This event was established in 2004. It is celebrated on the birthday anniversary of Karl Landsteiner on June 14, 1868. A scientist who won the Nobel Prize for his discovery of the ABO blood group system and it serves to raise awareness for the need for safe blood and blood products for the people and to thank the blood donors for their voluntary and life-saving acts of blood. World Blood Donor Day is one of eight official global public health campaigns marked by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The celebration of World Blood Donor Day emphasizes on thanking all the blood donors who have saved lives through their blood donations and in turn inspire more people all over the world to donate blood voluntarily and regularly with the slogan “Give freely, give often". Blood donation matters. 

But why is it so important to donate blood?

     The word donation in ‘blood donation’ means an act of great importance. When we donate something from our heart, it gives us an unfamiliar kind of positive vibe which can’t be put in words but definitely feels like an act done out of pure love for the humanity.

     Whenever there is an emergency, the people around have their first response as what can they do to help? So the answer to it is a slogan as given by WHO,

 “Give blood. Give Now. Give Often.”

“Be there for someone else. Give blood. Share life.”

     Transfusion of blood and blood items assists with sparing a huge number of lives each year. It can help patients experiencing dangerous conditions live more and with higher caliber of life and supports complex clinical and surgeries. It additionally has a basic, life-sparing job in maternal and perinatal consideration. Access to safe blood and blood products is essential for all countries, as part of a comprehensive approach to prevent maternal deaths. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 800 women die every day from pregnancy and childbirth-related complications. Severe bleeding is the cause of 34% of maternal deaths in Africa, 31% in Asia and 21% in Latin America and the Caribbean. Access to protected and adequate blood and blood items can help diminish paces of death and incapacity because of serious seeping during conveyance and after labor.

Yet, in many countries, there is not an adequate supply of safe blood, and blood services face the challenge of making sufficient blood which is safe and is of good quality available to the needy.

A sufficient supply of blood must be guaranteed through standard donations by willful unpaid blood donors. The WHO's objective is for all nations to get all their blood supplies from willful unpaid contributors by 2020. In 2014, 60 nations have their national blood supplies dependent on 99-100% willful unpaid blood donors, with 73 nations still to a great extent reliant on family and paid contributors.

Since blood cannot be produced artificially, the voluntary blood donation remains vital for healthcare needs all over the world. Huge number of anonymous blood donors save several lives every day through their blood donations.

Benefits and side-effects of donating blood

     To start with, blood donation is done to spare 3 lives. Single pint can save an accident victim, a burn patient and a cancer patient. The entire blood that you give will be isolated into 3 segments: the red blood cells, platelets and plasma. It will be transfused to patients who need the specific blood part.

The blood you give can help expand the lives of individuals you don't have the foggiest idea. It's just plain obvious, that makes you a legend as of now!  

Be that as it may, that is not all. Blood Donation additionally has medical advantages for the contributor. It decreases cancer risk, reduces risk of heart attack and renews blood. Beside that, before you give blood, you get the opportunity to have a clinical check in light of the fact that your heartbeat, circulatory strain, internal heart level, cholesterol and hemoglobin levels are checked.

In the event that you are qualified to give blood, I don't think there are a lot of cons on this. But, I think, on the off chance that you have dread for needles that could make you drop. Anyway, the dread of needles is nothing contrasted with the sentiment of realizing that lives are spared with your small donation.

Benefits of donating blood:

Decrease iron levels: Iron is required for the body to deliver red platelets. Nonetheless, a lot of iron in the body can influence the working of different organs, including the heart and liver. Helps in testing the strength of the giver: Before giving blood, the contributor experiences a progression of tests to decide if he/she is fit to give blood. This can enable the giver to recognize obscure wellbeing concerns. Reduce weight: Fun fact! Donating blood can burn upto 650 calories. But let this fact not be the sole reason for not working out!

Side effects of donating blood:

Regular intense symptoms incorporate the "squeeze" feeling while getting your iron checked and the needle embedded, wounding around the needle site, dizziness legitimately after donation for as long as 20 minutes and an abatement in escalated athletic execution for the following couple of days. Medium to long haul impacts are uncommon with entire blood donation. For premenopausal ladies iron levels can be a worry. Some may likewise have a development of scar tissue over their veins after some time. There are people who have issues giving, for instance, a few people become queasy or have veins that are trying to discover or black out. On the off chance that you have repeating issues of that nature, at that point perhaps blood donation isn't for you.

Also, if you have the important blood group that is of a Universal donor like O+/- or Universal recipient that is AB +/- then certain of your blood components are more valuable than your whole blood, so make sure that you donate blood and ensure in saving lives for the greater good.