Donate blood this winter

The South African National Blood Service (SANBS) commemorates World Blood Donor Day on 14 June. This is an international day of recognition of blood donors globally.

The theme for World Blood Donor Day this year is “Blood connects us all”.

People donating on the day will stand a chance to win the first prize of a leg of mutton, second prize of Texan steak and a third prize of an oxtail.

SANBS will be commemorating this day throughout the month of June. So donors will be shown appreciation with a gift when they donate.

SANBS is yielding positive results across these areas:

South Africa is one of the 65 countries in the world that get 100 per cent of their blood from voluntary donors who are not remunerated. The World Health Organisation has a target that by 2020 all countries will adopt this model.

SANBS works closely with healthcare workers who do transfusions at health facilities to heighten awareness about the correct use of blood, thus reducing wastage of this precious resource.

To keep blood safe, SANBS tests every single unit of blood collected daily for pathogens that cause HIV, Hepatitis B and C and syphilis, which are highly prevalent in the country. South Africa is one of few middle-income countries that run nucleic acid amplification testing (NAT) which detects the pathogens responsible for these epidemics by significantly reducing the length of the window period.

This is an investment that has given many accident victims, people suffering from blood-related diseases and mothers in labour the opportunity to live healthy lives.

SANBS encourages all South Africans to support its endeavours to recruit regular blood donors who make lasting connections with their fellow citizens in need.

For more information on how to become a blood donor and to find your nearest donor centre, visit www.sanbs.org.