WASHINGTON (CMC) – As it highlighted the importance of regular, voluntary, blood and plasma donation to ensure countries maintain a safe and sustainable supply, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) on Wednesday noted that demand exceeds supply in many countries across the region.

PAHO joined the international community in observing World Blood Donor Day, under the theme “Donate blood, donate plasma, share life, share often.”

PAHO Director, Dr Jarbas Barbosa, who is in Barbados attending the inaugural three-day SIDS ministerial conference on non-communicable disease (NCD) and mental health, in a message expressed his deep gratitude to all blood donors in the Americas for their invaluable contribution in giving life to those who need it most.

He said each blood and plasma donation is a valuable gift, essential to maintain an adequate supply.

“The availability of blood or plasma affects all patients, especially those who need lifelong transfusion support or receive transfusions periodically,” said Dr Barbosa, noting that this is the case for patients with sickle cell anaemia or thalassemia, or those with other chronic conditions, such as haemophilia, oncology patients or immuno-suppressed patients.

According to the latest data from the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2021, in Latin America and the Caribbean, the average blood donation rate per 1,000 inhabitants was 15 units, although some countries fell below the WHO-recommended minimum of 10 units.

The PAHO director warned that “demand exceeds supply in many countries of our region, and blood services, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, face the challenge of ensuring access to safe and quality blood.”

WHO has also highlighted the need to increase plasma donations obtained through blood extraction in many countries to ensure an adequate supply of plasma proteins for patients. This is crucial for treating a variety of serious diseases such as haemophilia, immune disorders, infections, and severe disorders.

However, plasma shortages in many low-and-middle-income countries limit the adequate treatment of patients. Globally, just 44 countries, six of them in Latin America and the Caribbean, use donated plasma to produce plasma derivatives such as immunoglobulins and clotting factors, considered essential medicines by WHO.

“We need more people across our region to become lifesavers by volunteering to regularly give blood or plasma,” Dr Barbosa said.

PAHO said that for both children and adults, transfusion of blood components is an essential part of the treatment of various diseases and medical disorders, saving lives and improving quality of life.

It said it continues to work closely with countries of the region to address the challenges related to the availability and quality of blood and blood components. This includes the development of efficient and integrated blood services in health systems, as well as the promotion of voluntary and non-remunerated donations.

The development of strategies for health surveillance, hemovigilance, risk management, monitoring and evaluation is crucial to understand national challenges and the particular needs of each country, PAHO added.