World Blood Donor Day: Myths about blood donation

June 14 is observed as the World Blood Donor Day and is declared by the World Health Organization. It is a good deed for donate blood by people who can. However, a number of people have a few misconceptions about blood donation. Here are a few myths that you need to know about blood donation.

1. Blood donation is a time consuming procedure – Many people are under the impression that blood donation takes a lot of time. But the fact is that the actual procedure does not take more than 10 to 15 minutes and you should be free within half an hour.

2. It is painful – It is similar to taking an injection that feels like a prick. For the entire procedure, the donor is comfortably made to sit on an easy chair or is made to lie down on a bed. Except for a single prick, there is no other pain for the body. The donor might just feel a little dizzy or light headed after the process.

3. People with Tattoos are not allowed to donate – This is a fact to a certain extent due to the needles that are used during making of the tattoo. But a tattooed donor can donate blood six months after getting inked to make sure that they do not have any contagious disease HIV, Hepatitis A,C.

4. The body will be left with little blood –The body has ample blood of 4.5 to 5.5 litres and during the blood donation, only 500 ml is withdrawn. The best part is that after the blood is donated, the body manages to make-up for the loss within a few hours.

5. There is a risk of contracting COVID-19 – People these days take ample precautions at the donation centres by placing hand-sanitizing stations, encouraging social distancing and usage of fresh needles. This is the time when more people should come forward to donate blood to help the people in the medical field.

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