Analyze/What would we not be willing to do to reduce the mortality rate in the world? This is a vague question whose answers may vary from one person to another depending on the circumstances of life but which for all sciences is the foundation of an approach which will allow over time to concretely propose the best possible solutions to resolve health problems in particular in order to allow a good number of people to smile again. If in fact before certain rare diseases and other more widespread ones such as neuromuscular diseases, myotubular myopathy, age-related macular degeneration, cancers, neurodegenerative diseases, heart attacks and others did not have treatments, today thanks to developments in the fields of science, the impossible has become possible.
The limits have been pushed to the point where we can allow ourselves to think that what is not currently treated will only be an old story in the future because everything is done to provide solutions to the multiple problems of a being who, depending on the circumstances, can find himself in a situation which requires a blood transfusion which he obviously has the right to accept or not for reasons which do not take away from the fact that blood transfusion is a vital necessity.
Those who began research on blood transfusion in the 17th century were already aware of the problem and began to carry out experiments, firstly using animal blood, in this case that of lambs, to transfuse it into human beings. After several attempts which ended in considerable failures compared to the numbers of people who recovered, the first attempts at human-to-human blood transfusions began in the 19th century and were hampered by facts ignored at the time and which are known today of almost everyone, namely: blood group and blood coagulation just after collection. These mysteries were elucidated at the beginning of the 20th century after several unsuccessful failures which nevertheless made it possible to realize that there were incompatibilities between the bloods of human beings. This discovery, which improved the quality of blood transfusions, earned Karl Landsteiner the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1930 and his birth day recognized as World Blood Donor Day (June 14).
From this moment on, the quality of transfusions and even conservation of the blood collected has only improved over time, first of all thanks to the anticoagulant properties of sodium citrate which allowed preservation of some two or three days in 1914, then around twenty days in 1943 with the first blood transfusion centres and more than forty days currently thanks to multiple developments in the fields of science which also made it possible to detect all the anomalies and risks both for the donor than the recipient.
Constraints
The different apprehensions of what we consider to be a vital necessity are the basis of the fact that this proposal to contribute to ensuring that avoidable deaths are avoided does not attract crowds. This means that as long as we do not feel directly concerned, we are not always ready to donate blood.
But the fact of not giving to others or not making the same gesture that we are ready to do for our loved ones is partly because we are not always sure that this blood will be used as it should. Indeed, in societies where everything is diverted or used for commercial purposes, we can never be careful enough. Even if experts strive to say that what is collected is used and stored as it should be, this is not enough to dissuade people from donating their blood on a massive scale voluntarily. Almost everyone would like a blood transfusion to be given to them or to one of their loved ones, but not everyone is always ready to do this for another for multiple reasons which make the task even more difficult not only for health services but also for certain patients or family members who are sometimes forced to look for a donor themselves to save the life of one of their loved ones.
Perhaps we must tell others to put themselves in other people's place so that we can show more compassion, but showing compassion does not necessarily mean putting ourselves in other people's shoes. It is simply necessary that those who want to donate blood continue to do so while campaigning so that others do the same. Failing to have what we would like but which we cannot have for multiple reasons which we must all the same respect, we must be satisfied with those who are not limited by any constraints and those who would like but who are not sure that this is really a good thing. It is these uncertainties that awareness-raising work must further dissipate because the largest numbers are not at the level of those who are limited by cultural and religious constraints but at the level of those who want and can contribute to what there are others and those who need more useful information through awareness-raising work, and this requires even more proximity perhaps at the level of all sectors of activity and even in the schools and with the consent of parents to encourage more people to donate blood and above all not to hesitate if they obviously do not want to give more importance to their personal considerations which must always be respected.
Demands for blood in Africa and around the world
National requests are always well above offers or donations but also collection capacities in Africa in particular and require even more financial means closely linked to a real desire of potential donors to come forward even more not only in order to contribute to change the lives of many applicants, but also renew their system because according to experts: “blood donation is beneficial not only for people in need but also for donors. » According to experts, it helps stimulate the production of new blood cells, stabilize iron levels in the breast, reduce the body weight of those who are overweight or obese because this helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, and above all the privilege of controlling the donor's state of health, and among other things contributes to mental and emotional well-being. Anyone who chooses to donate blood loses nothing. Rather, he gains on several points not only by helping others but by helping himself because this gift also contributes to his well-being.
Far from being insignificant, current donations are to be encouraged and congratulated even if additional efforts are required. In Cameroon, with needs estimated at more than 400,000 units of blood or bags containing a therapeutic dose of blood product used for transfusion, it is difficult to reach 150,000 bags. And this same deficit is observable everywhere in Africa. According to an article published by the World Health Organization in June 2023, of the 118.5 million blood donations collected each year worldwide, 40% are in high-income countries where only 16% live of the world population. This means that there are still efforts to be made in Africa in particular and this is why WHO is helping countries to develop their national transfusion services in order to guarantee rapid access to blood supplies and in safe and sufficient blood products and good transfusion practices to meet the needs of patients.
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