Red June: the importance of blood donation

Junho Vermelho is an awareness campaign about the act of donating blood: a simple, quick and practically painless gesture. For those who carry out the action, the changes may be small, but for those who receive it, it can mean everything: one more life saved.

Incidentally, one does not. With each blood donation up to 4 lives can be saved .

Because blood is irreplaceable to life, people who for some reason, such as accidents or illnesses, need to replace it are dependent on donor solidarity.

In Brazil, there are 27 blood centers and more than 500 collection services, both in the public and private networks. According to an estimate by the Ministry of Health, about 3.5 million Brazilians undergo blood transfusions every year.

But the number of volunteers willing to donate is still not ideal for stocks to be always supplied.

To prevent blood centers from reaching a state of emergency, campaigns are made to raise people’s awareness, one of which is the Red June.

Below, we explain what the campaign is and its importance for more people to be volunteers. Check it out and help do good!

Contents

What is the Red June campaign?

The Junho Vermelho campaign is an action aimed at raising the population’s awareness of the importance of donating blood, which takes place annually.

Gaining more space with each edition, Junho Vermelho counts on a growing adhesion of the media, bringing more information to people interested in collaborating.

The date has a reason: June 14th marks World Blood Donor Day, a date set by the World Health Organization (WHO), in honor of the birth of Austrian immunologist Karl Landsteiner, responsible for discovering blood types.

But not only that.

Red June happens just at a time of year when blood donations drop. Due to low temperatures, the frequency can be halved.

For this reason, the proposed actions are extremely important and are valid for the whole year.

So that there was never a need for emergency campaigns, it would be necessary for at least 3.5% of the healthy Brazilian population to donate blood, the ideal being around 5%.

But data from the #PartiuDoarSangue campaign indicates that, in Brazil, only 1.8% of the population is willing to donate voluntary blood.

The importance of the Red June: donate blood, donate life

Medicine, throughout history, has evolved to the point of discovering alternative treatments capable of improving and replacing procedures. With this, it is possible to save many lives more easily and even with less resources. There are several innovative medications, surgeries, exams and therapies.

However, there are still things that could not be reproduced, such as blood.

A patient who needs a transfusion or who has lost a lot of blood, for example, depends only on the donation of someone who has a compatible type.

That is why donation is so important, as this solidarity is the resource capable of saving lives , simply and quickly.

This donated blood is used in the treatment of cancer patients , who have chronic diseases, in surgeries and emergency care, for example.

How does blood donation work?

The donation begins with the collection of blood from a voluntary donor, made in the collection units scattered throughout Brazil .

However, before the collection takes place, the person undergoes a screening interview, assessing whether he meets the requirements for those who can donate.

That done, and the person released to donate, begins the collection made with a professional from the blood center.

You don’t have to be fasting or be afraid. The procedure is simple and you only feel the needle stick in your arm, very similar to an ordinary blood test.

In an adult person, who has an average of 5 liters of blood, a maximum of 450mL is collected. It is a small amount, but enough to help those who need it so much.

Counting on the screening interview, registration, vital signs evaluation, tests for anemia , blood collection and the snack offered after the donation, it is estimated that the whole process will last about 40 minutes.

For the organism to replenish the volume of blood donated is also very fast, occurring within the first 24 hours after donation.

Between one donation and another, it is necessary to have an interval of 2 months for men (maximum of 4 annual donations) and 3 months for women (maximum of 3 annual donations).

Who can donate blood?

There are some requirements for blood donation, established for the safety of those who donate and receive the transfusion.

They aim to prevent the transmission of diseases, mainly because the organism of the recipient of the tissue is weakened.

Temporary restrictions include cases of viral diseases, newly made tattoos, wisdom teeth, etc.

In addition, some criteria must be assessed:

  • People between 16 and 69 years old, requiring the formal consent of the legal guardian for minors under 18 years old and that the first donation has been made up to 60 years old for people over the age;
  • Weigh not minimum 50Kg;
  • Have slept at least 6 hours within the last 24 hours;
  • Be well fed, but avoid very fatty foods in the hours leading up;
  • Wait 2 hours after lunch;
  • Submit an identification document issued by an official agency (CNH, identity card, passport, etc.);
  • If it is not the first donation, have made the minimum interval of 2 or 3 months, depending on sex, between one donation and another.

How to prepare for a blood donation?

Before the donation, there is no great preparation. It is not necessary to be fasting, but it is also recommended to avoid very fatty foods first, as seen in the requirements.

After the donation, however, there are some precautions that must be taken:

  • Drink plenty of fluids;
  • Avoid exaggerated physical efforts, at least after 12 hours after collection;
  • Avoid alcoholic beverages within 12 hours of collection;
  • Leave the dressing at the puncture site after four hours of donation;
  • Avoid driving;
  • Avoid working in high places, such as scaffolding;
  • Have a snack after the donation and hydrate yourself.

We seek to show in the article the importance of blood donation and to promote the Junho Vermelho campaign. Generosity in the gesture is capable of transforming and saving lives.

Have you ever donated or received a blood donation? Tell us and share this information with more people!

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