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WHO Intensifies Work on Safe Blood for
Mothers
New WHO survey on blood safety and
donation
 Geneva - On the occasion of World Blood
Donor Day, the theme of which this year is Safe blood for safe motherhood,
the World Health Organization (WHO) will launch a new initiative to improve
the availability and use of safe blood to save the lives of women during and
after childbirth. The initiative is the beginning of a broader blood safety
agenda redefined in Ottawa this week and aiming to work
towards universal access to safe blood transfusion in support of the
Millennium Development Goals.
On 14 June, WHO will also release data
collected from 172 countries on trends in blood donation, access and testing.
Globally, more than 500 000 women die each
year during pregnancy, childbirth or in the
postpartum period – 99% of them in the developing world. An estimated
25% of those deaths are caused by severe bleeding during childbirth, making
this the most common cause of maternal mortality.
Severe bleeding during delivery or after
childbirth contributes to around 34% of maternal deaths in Africa, 31% in
Asia and 21% in Latin America and the Caribbean.
As pregnant women are one of the main groups
of patients requiring blood transfusion in developing countries, together
with children they are particularly vulnerable to blood shortages and to HIV,
hepatitis B and hepatitis C infections through unsafe blood.
"If current trends continue, the world
will fail to meet target 5 of the Millennium Development Goals to reduce
maternal mortality," said Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General.
"We must do everything we can to improve the chances of women during and
after childbirth."
Blood transfusion has been identified as one
of the eight key life-saving interventions in healthcare facilities providing
emergency obstetric care. Timely, appropriate and safe blood transfusion
during and after labour and delivery can make the difference between life and
death for many women and their newborns.
The Global Initiative on Safe Blood for Safe
Motherhood aims to improve access to safe blood to manage pregnancy-related
complications as part of a comprehensive approach to maternal care. This
includes good antenatal care, prevention and timely treatment of anaemia,
assessment of the need for transfusion and safe blood transfusion given only
when really required.
WHO will strengthen the capacity of blood
banks and district hospitals for improving maternal health through the
provision of technical support in the areas of voluntary blood donation, safe
blood collection, quality
assured testing and best clinical practices. WHO will train clinicians,
nurses, technicians and other key health personnel at district level
facilities through its regional networks across the world.
The lack of access to safe blood for women
reflects the general situation in developing countries. Developing countries
are home to more than 80% of the world's population, yet they currently
represent only 45% of the global blood supply.
Out of 80 countries that have donation rates
of less than 1% of the population (fewer than 10 donations per thousand
people), 79 are in developing regions; it is generally recommended that 1-3%
of the population give blood to meet a country's needs.
The WHO survey conducted in 172 countries,
covering 95% of the world's population and based on 2004 data, shows that
some progress has been made since the beginning of the millennium towards
ensuring a safer, more adequate supply of blood.
One of the survey's indicators
was the implementation of voluntary, unpaid blood donation, which remains a
mainstay of WHO recommendations to ensure a safe and sufficient blood supply.
In 2004, 50 countries had
achieved 100% voluntary unpaid blood donation, compared with 39 countries in
2002. Three of the 11
new countries achieving this are categorized as least developed. More and
more countries are moving towards voluntary blood donation. In 2002, 63
countries were collecting less than 25% of their blood from voluntary unpaid
donors. By 2004, this had fallen to 46 countries.
Testing of blood for major infections such as
HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C is also increasing, although in many countries
there are few indicators showing if the testing is carried out according to
quality assured procedures. Out of 40 countries in
sub-Saharan Africa, 28 countries have yet to establish national quality
systems.
41 of 148 countries (28%) that provided data
on screening for transfusion-transmissible infections were not able to screen
the donated blood for one or more of the markers.
On 9-11 June, Ottawa was the venue for a global
consultation organized by WHO
with the collaboration and support of the Government of Canada and the
Canadian and French blood services. Around 100 experts in transfusion called
on governments, international agencies and nongovernmental organizations to
work together towards universal access to safe blood transfusion by 2015 in
support of the Millennium Development Goals to reduce maternal and child
mortality and prevent the transmission of HIV, hepatitis and other
life-threatening infections through unsafe blood and blood products.
Links: General
information on World Blood Donor Day
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