By Dr. Asha Ojha
World blood donor day requires spot on 14th June every single year. The aim is to raise worldwide awareness of the want for protected blood and blood merchandise for transfusion and of the crucial contribution of voluntary ,unpaid donors make to national well being systems. The day also offers an chance to contact to action to governments and national well being authorities to provide sufficient sources and place into spot systems and infrastructures to enhance the collection of blood from voluntary, non-remunerated blood donors.
Safe blood and blood merchandise and their transfusion are a crucial aspect of care and public well being. They save millions of lives, boost well being and high-quality of quite a few patients each and every day. The want for blood is universal, but access to blood for all these who want it is not. Blood shortages are specifically acute in establishing nations.
Through the covid-19 pandemic, the Blood Banks across the globe want the aid of blood donors such as blood drives to meet the requirements of patient care.
This year’s slogan, “Give blood and keep the world-beating,” aims to raise awareness in the course of a time of crisis, reaching out to all eligible donors to contribute towards keeping supplies of protected blood.
By donating blood you can save someone’s life. Blood donation stimulates Blood Cell Production. It assists you to comprehensive your social responsibilities.
As component of our nation’s crucial infrastructure, healthful people can nonetheless donate in regions that have issued shelter in spot declarations or are operating below a phased reopening program. All Blood banks adhere to the highest requirements of security and infection manage, and voluntary donors are the only supply of blood for these in want. As hospitals resume surgical procedures and patient treatment options that have been temporarily paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an acute, continual shortage of blood, stopping procedures for these in want of surgeries, therefore communities are urged to go out and donate blood.
Blood banks across India are following NBTC suggestions for blood donation eligibility.
Blood can be safely donated following a period of 3 months if the criteria for donation are fulfilled. This time is essential to replenish the shops in our body. This extraordinary work in the course of a time of unprecedented crisis highlights the vital function of properly –organized, committed voluntary, non -remunerated blood donors in making certain protected and enough blood provide in the course of standard and emergency instances.
With the ongoing covid -19 pandemic, it is prudent to provide the blood bank with specifics of vaccine although donating blood. The deferral period for blood donors is 14 days following getting every single / any dose of the presently accessible covid -19 vaccines in the nation topic to the situation that the donor confirms to the other norms for blood donation.
Based on the history of blood donor to COVID-19 infection, people should really be deferred from donating blood for 28 days from day of discharge/ isolation and comprehensive recovery from the illness such as radiological and virological clearance.
“Give blood and keep the world-beating.”
This message highlights the critical contribution blood donors make to maintaining the world pulsating by saving lives and enhancing other’s well being.
Impact on blood donation
The novel coronavirus illness has disrupted blood transfusion services world-wide. Despite blood transfusion services taking various precautionary measures to decrease the dangers of COVID-19 in the course of blood donations, donors became anxious with regards to the threat of the COVID-19 infection in the course of the donation and the blood transfusion services have been facing the inevitable hazard of blood shortage.
The blood donation activities have been believed to be against the social distancing protocols. As all corporate and educational institutes have been closed, the Blood Transfusion Services (BTS) have been obtaining a challenging time arranging the outside blood drives.
Diminished donor inflow, lack of uniform donor choice criteria in the course of the initial period, worry of COVID-19 spread to blood donors and employees personnel, shortage of accessible blood units, employees personnel transportation, handling of healthcare records, and issues about transfusion-transmitted COVID-19 have been the significant challenges faced in blood centres. Personal invitation of donors, public announcements, and in-home donation drives have been implemented to boost donor inflow. National suggestions have been established. Restricted donor entry, stringent donor choice, and sufficient sanitization methods have been the crucial methods adopted to make sure the security of donors and employees. Staff duty pattern was allocated on a rotation basis. The novel typical operating procedures was created and implemented for handling covid -19 positive or suspected blood samples.
The donor appointment letter- A donor appointment letter was ready as per the state blood transfusion council recommendations. The letter talked about the donor name and anticipated date and time of blood donation and its scanned copy was sent to all the donors by means of WhatsApp. The letter was printed on the official BTS letterhead and was signed and stamped.
Education for BTS employees members- The BTS employees was educated on the existing COVID-19 crisis and critical prevention measures, such as hand hygiene, cough etiquette, social distancing, and so on. The significance of Universal Precautions and Good Laboratory Practices was re-emphasized. Challenging differentiation among COVID-19 carriers and healthful blood donors. The BTS ought to rely on the donor deferral policy to decrease the threat of potentially infected donors from getting into the blood provide chain.
Implementation of a supplementary donor well being questionnaire- A modified donor well being questionnaire supplement was implemented following the suggestions of the apex national body of blood transfusion, the National Blood Transfusion Council (NBTC). The addendum integrated queries with regards to donors/close contacts travel and get in touch with history with a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19 and symptoms of active infection.
Precaution by the BTS employees at the outside drives and in-home donations- The use of alcohol-based-hand-sanitizers by donors at a handy location, such as the reception and refreshment regions, was ensured for hand hygiene. Personal protective gear, such as the N95 mask, hand gloves, face shields, was made mandatory for the BTS employees in the donation premises.
Social distancing is maintained although blood donations. Cleaning measures taken in the donation premises .
The self-assurance constructing in the blood donors and handling of the logistic concerns have been the most critical components for the effective blood and blood solution inventory management. In instances of pandemic, implementations of measures that make sure the security of the blood donors and BTS employees is the duty and social obligation of the BTS.
To date, SARS-CoV-2 infection testing in blood donors has not been advised by the NBTC. At the time of donation, the blood donors are advised and encouraged to inform the BTS in case of COVID-19 diagnosis and symptoms of COVID-19.
Risk of COVID-19 by blood transfusion- Respiratory viruses, such as coronaviruses, are not ordinarily identified to be transmitted by blood transfusion.
Preparedness program for future epidemics-
Even following overcoming COVID-19, the circumstance may perhaps under no circumstances return to what it was preceding to the pandemic and the BTS may perhaps have to discover to work with these ‘new normal’ circumstances. The BTS may perhaps inculcate this additional cautiousness in their routine and this may perhaps also have a positive influence on the donor population.
( The author is Blood Bank Officer, Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre. The post is for informational purposes only. Please seek the advice of well being professionals and healthcare experts prior to beginning any therapy or medication. Views expressed are individual and do not reflect the official position or policy of the TheSpuzz Online.)