Countries urged: Ensure adequate supply of safe blood

MANILA, Philippines - The World Health Organization (WHO) has asked countries to ensure that safe blood and blood products are available to meet the needs of patients requiring transfusion.

In a report released in time for the “World Blood Donor Day” on June 14, WHO said that about 800 women die each day from pregnancy or childbirth-related complications, mostly in developing nations.

More than half of them occur in sub-Saharan Africa and almost one-third in South Asia. The risk of maternal mortality is highest for adolescent girls under 15 years of age.

“Severe bleeding during delivery or after childbirth is the common cause of maternal mortality and contributes to around 34 percent of maternal deaths in Africa, 31 percent in Asia and 21 percent in Latin America and the Caribbean,” the report said.

It added that severe bleeding during delivery and after childbirth is a major cause of mortality, morbidity and long-term disability.

Blood transfusion, however, has been identified as one of the “key life-saving interventions for the management of pregnancy-related complications.”

This is part of a comprehensive approach to maternal and newborn care that should be available in all facilities providing comprehensive emergency obstetric care.

“However, in many countries, there is an inadequate supply of safe blood and blood services face the challenge of making sufficient blood available while also ensuring its quality and safety,” WHO said.

The agency observed that there is “a marked difference in the level of access to safe blood between high- and low-income countries.”

“An adequate supply of safe blood can only be assured through regular donations by voluntary unpaid blood donors. These donors are the safest group of donors as the prevalence of blood-borne infections is lowest among this group,” WHO added.