TEHRAN- Blood donation in Iran has increased by more than three percent since the beginning of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21) compared to the same period last year.A total of 991,401 Iranians donated blood over the mentioned period, Bashir Haji-Beigi, the Blood Transfusion Organization spokesman said on Tuesday.He went on to say that the highest blood donation growth was recorded in Lorestan, North Khorasan, and Kerman provinces with 41 percent, 19 percent, and 15 percent rise, respectively, IRNA reported.Tehran province accounted for more than 16 percent of the country's total blood donation by receiving 160,349 units of blood from donors, followed by Fars and Khorasan Razavi provinces with seven percent and a bit less than seven percent, respectively, he added.Referring to over four percent of women's share of blood donation in the country, he said: "Women should get more involved in blood donation than in the past."Continuous and regular blood donation (at least twice a year) has increased slightly to 53 percent in the first five months of the year compared to the same period last year, as 527,385 units of blood were donated by regular donors, the official noted.Blood donation in IranThe average blood donation rate in Iran is 26 per thousand people which places the country in a good situation among other countries.According to the World Health Organization, the median blood donation rate in high-income countries is 31.5 donations per 1000 people.

This compares with 16.4 donations per 1000 people in upper-middle-income countries, 6.6 donations per 1000 people in lower-middle-income countries, and 5.0 donations per 1000 people in low-income countries.Of the 118.5 million blood donations collected globally, 40% of these are collected in high-income countries, home to 16% of the world’s population.In low-income countries, up to 54 % of blood transfusions are given to children under 5 years of age; whereas in high-income countries, the most frequently transfused patient group is over 60 years of age, accounting for up to 76% of all transfusions.Based on samples of 1000 people, the blood donation rate is 31.5 donations in high-income countries, 16.4 donations in upper-middle-income countries, 6.6 donations in lower-middle-income countries, and 5.0 donations in low-income countries.In the past Iranian calendar year, which ended on March 20, some 2.223 million blood donations were registered across the country, an increase of 9.3 percent compared to the year before.MT/MG