China News Service, February 28. According to the news on the 27th of the United Nations website, the World Health Organization has launched a new action plan to improve global blood safety and availability. This four-year plan aims to improve transfusion treatment options in all countries.
The WHO says blood transfusions can save lives and improve health, but many patients who need blood transfusions do not have access to safe blood in a timely manner. Providing safe and adequate blood should be an important aspect of each country's national healthcare policy and infrastructure.
According to WHO data, 42% of the world ’s 117.4 million blood donations each year come from high-income countries with a total population of 16% of the world ’s population. In low-income countries, blood transfusions can reach up to 52% of total blood transfusions for children under five years of age; in high-income countries, the population receiving the most transfusions is patients over 65 years old, up to 75% of total blood transfusions.
According to WHO data, blood donation rates are 32.6 per thousand people in high-income countries, 15.1 in upper-middle-income countries, 8.1 in low- and middle-income countries, and 4.4 in low-income countries.
Blood donor gender data show that 32% of blood donations worldwide come from women, but this percentage varies widely across regions. Reported data are available in 119 countries, with less than 10% of female blood donors in 14 of these countries.
Blood donor age data show that young people are more likely to be younger than high-income countries in low- and middle-income countries. Demographic information from blood donors is important for developing and monitoring recruitment strategies.
WHO recommends that all relevant tasks such as blood collection, testing, processing, storage and distribution be coordinated at the national level through effective organization and an integrated blood supply network. The national blood system should follow the national blood policy and legislative framework in order to promote uniform implementation and consistency in the quality and safety of blood and blood products.
In 2015, 71% of the 173 reporting countries implemented a national blood policy. 60% of the 173 reporting countries have specific legislation on blood transfusion safety and quality. This includes 79% of high-income countries; 55% of middle-income countries; and 45% of low-income countries.
WHO states that among the three types of voluntary, unpaid, family / substitute, and paid blood donors, voluntary unpaid blood donors are also the safest blood donors because this group has the lowest incidence of blood infections. Having a stable source of regular voluntary unpaid blood donors can ensure a reliable and adequate safe blood supply.
Data reported to WHO indicate a significant increase in the number of voluntary unpaid blood donations in low- and middle-income countries: the number of voluntary unpaid blood donations increased by 11.6 million in 139 countries reported between 2008 and 2015.
More than 90% of the blood supply in 78 countries came from voluntary unpaid blood donors; however, more than 50% of the blood supply in 58 countries came from relatives / alternative blood donors or paid blood donors. Nineteen countries still reported paid blood donations in 2015, with a total of about 370,000 blood donations.
WHO recommends screening all blood donations before use to prevent infection. Screening for HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and Syphilis should be mandatory. Blood screening should be performed as required by the quality system. Thirteen of the reporting countries failed to screen all of the blood donations for one or more of the above infection screenings.