Young people are the new generation of healthy blood donors, said Aliakbar Pourfathollah, head of the Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization, on World Blood Donor Day.
Youth born between 1994 and 1998 are eligible donors as they are vaccinated against Hepatitis B virus and are able to donate healthy blood, ISNA reported.
The IBTO plans to invest on the youth to improve the standards of donor blood and obviate any concerns about diseases through blood donation, he said.
As the society faces an aging population there is an increasing need for blood and its byproducts. On the other hand, as the number of donors’ decline, it becomes necessary “to identify new blood donors.”
IBTO not only considers the number of donors, but also seeks to improve the quality of blood and its storage, he said.
In the last year, over 2.5 million people referred to blood transfusion centers, among whom 500,000 are regular donors who donate blood twice a year. One of the indices indicating blood health is the regular donors’ index. “The figure is 51.5% in Iran, illustrating an acceptable rate of blood transfusion.”
Also, at present blood donation in the country is 27 units per 1000 people, the highest in the East Mediterranean region, Pourfathollah said.
The IBTO head appreciated people’s active participation in blood donation. “It is an important social duty.”
He said the IBTO emphasizes on the state of health of the applicants and holds sessions to provide information on how blood can get contaminated.
The World Blood Donor Day observed on June 14 commemorates Karl Landsteiner, Austrian biologist and physician, who first identified the three blood groups A, B and O.
Established in 1974, IBTO is the only authorized center for collection and distribution of blood and its byproducts in Iran.
