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Safe blood transfusions to save mothers: WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) is urging countries to provide safe blood to save mothers, as 800 mothers die globally each day in pregnancy, childbirth or in the postpartum period, with 99 percent of such cases in the developing world
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T
he World Health Organization (WHO) is urging countries to provide safe blood to save mothers, as 800 mothers die globally each day in pregnancy, childbirth or in the postpartum period, with 99 percent of such cases in the developing world.
The WHO said in a statement that severe bleeding during delivery or after childbirth was the commonest cause of maternal mortality and contributed to around 31 percent of maternal deaths in Asia.
This year's World Blood Donor Day focused on providing safe blood to save mothers in Sri Lanka, the host for the global event, which took place on Saturday.
'Sri Lankans donate around 380,000 units of blood every year and 100 percent of donated blood comes from voluntary, non-remunerated donors. Sri Lanka has demonstrated strong political will and effective community mobilization, which has resulted in comprehensive, nationally coordinated blood transfusion services,' said WHO regional director for South-East Asia Poonam Khetrapal Singh.
However, not all patients requiring transfusion have timely access to safe blood and blood products in the region.
'Countries need to ensure that supplies of blood and blood products are sufficient and free from infections such as HIV, hepatitis, syphilis and malaria. We need more people to donate blood voluntarily, for free and to ensure the safety of blood during transfusion,' said Khetrapal Singh.
As of 2013, the maternal mortality ratio per 100,000 live births varied from 26 to 270 in countries in the WHO's Southeast Asia region. In Sri Lanka, it is just 29 per 100,000 live births, reflecting high-quality maternal health services island wide.
Around 15.6 million units of donated blood are collected in the region, which needs 18 million donated units per year.
An adequate and reliable supply of safe blood can only be assured through a stable base of regular, voluntary, unpaid blood donors.
'Often transfusions are prescribed when simple and safe alternative treatments might be equally effective. As a result, such a transfusion may not be necessary. An unnecessary transfusion exposes patients to the risk of infections such as HIV and hepatitis and adverse transfusion reactions,' said Khetrapal. (ebf)
