More blood. More life.

On 14 June 2011, countries worldwide celebrate World Blood Donor Day with events to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products and to thank voluntary unpaid blood donors for their life-saving gifts of blood.
The theme for World Blood Donor Day 2011 is, "More blood. More life." This theme reinforces the urgent need for more people all over the world to become life-savers by volunteering to donate blood regularly.
The overwhelming majority of the world’s population do not have access to safe blood. Only 38% of blood units are collected in developing countries where 82% of the global population live.
The day also provides an opportunity to highlight the fact that voluntary non-remunerated blood donors are the foundation of a safe blood supply because they are associated with significantly lower levels of infections that can be transmitted by transfusion, including HIV and hepatitis viruses. Screening for transfusion-transmissible infections is essential, but the safest donations come from the safest donors.
World Blood Donor Day provides a unique opportunity to give thanks to those very special people who provide the foundation of a safe blood supply, available to all patients requiring transfusion.
Linda Bordoni spoke to Doctor Neelam Dhingra, coordinator for The Blood Transfusions Safety Programme at World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva.
listen to full interview...