World Blood Donor Day 2025: Date, History and Interesting Facts about the World Blood Donor Day

History of World Blood Donor Day

Richard Lower, an English physician, was the first person who used the science of blood donation with animals and successfully transfused blood between two dogs. Later, Karl Landsteiner, an American biologist, physician, and immunologist discovered the system of ABO human blood type to determine donors. Soon, blood transfusions became a common topic in the health industry.

Blood donor day was first initiated in May 2005 at the 58th World Health Assembly where it was decided to assign a day as World Blood Donor Day to be celebrated as an annual event held on 14th June to commemorate the birthday of Karl Landsteiner.

The day aims at raising awareness about the need for blood donation on a regular basis, to have a supply of blood for emergencies, and to appreciate the dedication of health workers working in the field of research and development. It is also observed as a day to thank blood donors from across the globe for their efforts towards saving lives and making the earth a better place to live.

Timeline of World Blood Donor Day

• On April 7, 2000 ‘Safe Blood Starts with Me’ was chosen as the theme of World Health Day
• On May 2005 at the 58th World Health Assembly, the World Blood Donor Day was initiated and implemented
• On June 11, 2009, the Melbourne Declaration was established where a goal was set for every country globally to receive blood supplies from voluntary donors
• On December 6, 2013, the largest blood donation drive was held, which broke all records with the participation of over 61,902 blood donors across India

Interesting Facts About World Blood and World Blood Donor Day

• The amount of blood in an adult person on an average is 10 -12 pints
• The shelf life of red blood cells in 42 days
• It takes about 10-15 minutes to donate blood
• Once you donate blood, you must wait for 56 days before you could donate again
• 1 million people are diagnosed with cancer every year
• Time taken to donate platelets is 90 minutes
• There are 8 types of blood; A+, B+, AB+, O+, A-, B-, AB- and O- (including both positive and negative Rh factor)
• People with O blood group can give blood to everyone and are known as universal donors
• Blood is made of 4 elements – white blood cells, red blood cells, platelets and plasma

Why is World Blood Donor Day Important?

World Blood Donor Day is important because:

• It saves lives of millions of people who need blood for transfusion, or to heal after accidents and other diseases etc.
• There is always a need for blood as millions of people expect blood to cure their diseases and live a better life
• Blood requirement is a global need as each and every country need enough supply of blood

What are the Health Benefits of Donating Blood?

World Blood Donor Day takes place on 14 June each year. Many people fear donating blood as they think it might cause health issues. However, donating blood regularly is likely to help in keeping BP low and lowers the risk of heart attacks too.

The first question that any person willing to donate blood asks is ‘Can I donate blood?’ Is there any blood donation side effects or health issues that I may face after donating blood? The answer to the first question is – any healthy person above the age of 18 can donate blood. And as far as the second question goes, most people do not face any side effects after donating blood. However, some might face symptoms like dizziness and nausea in certain cases.  Or some might also experience weakness for some time after donating blood. However, some might face symptoms like dizziness, nausea or weakness after donating blood.

Further, not many people are aware that June 14 is celebrated as World Blood Donor Day every year. This day is marked to create awareness about blood donation and its need for saving lives. This day is also marked to show gratitude to the donors who regularly donate blood to help save human lives. Let us take a look at some important aspects related to blood donation that interests everyone.

Blood donation is a noble but many people are scared of its side effects as they are of the view that it may cause harm to their health. Thus, they stay away from donating blood. However, the fact is rather than getting side effects, blood donation allows the donor to receive certain benefits in terms of their health. Yes, there are numerous health benefits of donating blood and the world blood donor day 2023 makes sure that people come to know about these benefits so that more and more people come ahead to do this noble job. The theme of world blood donor day 2023 is, “Donating blood is an act of solidarity. Join the effort and save lives”. So make sure to join the spirit of this day on 14 June for World Blood Donor Day.

Advantages of Blood Donation 

• One very important benefit of donating blood is that it helps in removing the iron deposits, which are harmful and are stored in the body.
• The clearing of these iron deposits helps in restricting cardiovascular diseases, hemochromatosis etc. This way you can also keep your liver and pancreas healthy by means of replenishing blood.
• Thus, by donating blood on a regular basis you can keep a check on the iron stores of your body to limit  the risk of heart attacks too.
• Further, since your body restores the lost blood in almost 48 hours, it makes you healthier and enhance your efficiency.
• Also, it is said that blood donation enhances mental health as it reduces stress and augments emotional happiness.