<span style="color: #222222;">Today is World Blood Donor Day. Every year on this day countries around the world celebrate the day to raise awareness for the need of safe blood and blood products for transfusion and recognise the importance of voluntary, unpaid blood donors in saving lives.<br />”<br />”The day is celebrated on the Birth Anniversary of Austrian biologist and physician Karl Landsteiner. He is considered to be the founder of modern blood transfusion.<br />”<br />”Patients of life-threatening medical conditions, like thalassemia, anaemia and blood malignancies need to receive this critical medical service. Blood shortage also affects women during childbirth as post-partum haemorrhage is one of the most common preventable causes of maternal death.<br />”<br />”This year the WHO has released the slogan 'Give blood and keep the world beating'. The message highlights the essential contribution blood donors make the world over. It also reinforces the global call for more people to contribute to better health by donating blood regularly.</span><br />