The Associazione Volontari Italiani del Sangue (AVIS) ("Association of Voluntary Italian Blood Donors [1] ") is the major Italian non-profit and charitable organisation for blood donation, bringing together over a million volunteer blood donors across Italy. [2] [3] It is headquartered in Lombardy, Italy.
In the early twentieth century, the ABO blood group system was discovered by Austrian scientist Karl Landsteiner, and its application in World War I led to a rise in the awareness of therapeutic blood donation. In Italy, there were few hospitals that could provide blood transfusions, and those that did held lists of suppliers; this closed market allowed a high price (up to several months' wages) to be charged to patients for a single unit of blood. [4]
In 1927, Dr Vittorio Formentano founded the first voluntary organisation in Italy, in Milan. [4] Two years later, his group of unpaid donors became the Associazione Volontari Italiani Sangue, the first organisation of its kind in Italy. [5]
The goals of the group were "organizing a network of regular donors under constant medical control, to fight the blood trade, to spread the idea that blood is a natural and anonymous gift and to enhance scientific knowledge of transfusion practice". The organisation developed quickly across Northern Italy, and in 1934 Il Duce, Benito Mussolini, issued a Regio Decreto ("king's decree") asking the organisation to add an "F" for fascista (fascist) to its acronym. The decree also embedded blood donation into a set of administrative bodies across Italy, and legally acknowledged the right of professional blood donors to profit from their donations. [4] Francesco Carnelutti, a leading scholar of the time, even argued for the right to take blood without the donor's consent. [6]
After the collapse of the fascist government in 1946, the new Italian Republic abrogated responsibility for blood donation to the Italian Red Cross, who were given a near-monopoly on blood donation until 1950, [4] when, following concerted political pressure, AVIS was re-recognised and granted an official title (Associazione Volontari Italiani del Sangue).
Structured on a territorial basis, AVIS was permitted to operate autonomously, and began to slowly spread a culture of voluntary, unpaid blood donation across the country — although, even to this day, the north of Italy has a freer attitude towards blood donation than the south, where voluntary, free donation is only expected for a family member. [7] By 1955, Formentano had become the president of IFBDO, the International Federation of Blood Donor Organisations. [8]
In the 1950s and early 60s, the sale of blood in Italy was still permitted, and due to the shortages, particularly in the south of the country, a black market in blood trade spread. Blood was known as "oro rosso" ("red gold"). [4]
On 14 July 1967, the Collection, Preservation and Distribution of Human Blood Act was passed by the Italian Government. The law regulated every aspect of the blood system in Italy, and marked the beginning of a stream of complex regulations surrounding blood donation, storage and transfusion in Italy — the laws specified every detail of how blood donation could take place, down to standardising the furniture in donation centres. [4] The law did not, however, criminalise the paid donation of blood — only specifying the price charged not be "manifestly exorbitant". The right of a worker to receive a paid day off for freely donating blood, however, was enshrined in Italian law. [9]
In 1990, following a maelstrom of media and public pressure after a series of incidents involving Italian hemophiliacs receiving HIV-infected blood, President Francesco Cossiga passed the Blood Reform Act, which repealed the 1967 Act, and forced all transfusion activity, including that of AVIS, to take place under the auspices of the Italian National Health Service, and required all blood donations to be unpaid. [4] [10]
Between 1989 and 1999, AVIS had 871,779 donating members, and received 1,531,572 donations in Italy (plus 2,370 donations in Switzerland). In 1999 a total of 1,913,299 units of blood were donated; a shortfall of around 400,000 units. Few regions of Italy (mostly in the north) are self-sufficient in blood and plasma. [11]
AVIS was granted the Medaglia d'oro al merito civile (the gold medal for civil merit) on January 7, 1998. [12]
A blood donation occurs when a person voluntarily has blood drawn and used for transfusions and/or made into biopharmaceutical medications by a process called fractionation. Donation may be of whole blood, or of specific components directly (apheresis). Blood banks often participate in the collection process as well as the procedures that follow it.
Avis is Latin for bird and may refer to:
Apheresis is a medical technology in which the blood of a person is passed through an apparatus that separates out one particular constituent and returns the remainder to the circulation. It is thus an extracorporeal therapy.
Plasmapheresis is the removal, treatment, and return or exchange of blood plasma or components thereof from and to the blood circulation. It is thus an extracorporeal therapy, a medical procedure performed outside the body.
Plateletpheresis is the process of collecting thrombocytes, more commonly called platelets, a component of blood involved in blood clotting. The term specifically refers to the method of collecting the platelets, which is performed by a device used in blood donation that separates the platelets and returns other portions of the blood to the donor. Platelet transfusion can be a life-saving procedure in preventing or treating serious complications from bleeding and hemorrhage in patients who have disorders manifesting as thrombocytopenia or platelet dysfunction. This process may also be used therapeutically to treat disorders resulting in extraordinarily high platelet counts such as essential thrombocytosis.
Canadian Blood Services is a non-profit charitable organization that is independent from the Canadian government. The Canadian Blood Services was established as Canada's blood authority in all provinces and territories except for Quebec in 1998. The federal, provincial and territorial governments created the Canadian Blood Services through a memorandum of understanding. Canadian Blood Services is funded mainly through the provincial and territorial governments.
In England, blood and other tissues are collected by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT). NHSBT Blood Donation was previously known as the National Blood Service until it merged with UK Transplant in 2005 to form a NHS special health authority. Other official blood services in the United Kingdom include the Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service, the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service and the Welsh Blood Service.
Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, simply known as Lifeblood, is a branch of the Australian Red Cross responsible for the collection and distribution of blood and biological products in Australia. Lifeblood employs around 3,700 employees across scientific, clinical and support services, processing over half a million blood donations each year. Lifeblood is primarily funded by the Australian Government and state and territory governments.
The Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS), or Seirbhís Fuilaistriúcháin na hÉireann in Irish, was established in Ireland as the Blood Transfusion Service Board (BTSB) by the Blood Transfusion Service Board (Establishment) Order, 1965. It took its current name in April 2000 by Statutory Instrument issued by the Minister for Health and Children to whom it is responsible. The Service provides blood and blood products for humans.
The International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) is a scientific society founded in 1935, which promotes the study of blood transfusion and provides information about the ways in which blood transfusion medicine and science can best serve patients' interests. The society's central office is in Amsterdam, and there are around 1500 members in 103 countries. Currently, the President is Michael Busch.
The New Zealand Blood Service is the provider of blood services for New Zealand. The service is a Crown entity responsible to New Zealand’s Parliament and is governed by a Board appointed by the Minister of Health.
Many countries have laws, regulations, or recommendations that effectively prohibit donations of blood or tissue for organ and corneal transplants from men who have sex with men (MSM), a classification irrespective of their sexual activities with same-sex partners and of whether they identify themselves as bisexual or gay. Temporary restrictions are sometimes called "deferrals", since blood donors who are found ineligible may be found eligible at a later date. However, many deferrals are indefinite meaning that donation are not accepted at any point in the future, constituting a de facto ban. Even men who have monogamous relations with their same-sex partner are found ineligible.
A transfusion transmitted infection (TTI) is a virus, parasite, or other potential pathogen that can be transmitted in donated blood through a transfusion to a recipient. The term is usually limited to known pathogens, but also sometimes includes agents such as Simian foamy virus which are not known to cause disease.
World Blood Donor Day (WBDD) is held on June 14 each year. The event was organised for the first time in 2004, by four core international organizations: the World Health Organization, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies; the International Federation of Blood Donor Organizations (IFBDO) and the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products, and to thank blood donors for their voluntary, life-saving gifts of blood. World Blood Donor Day is one of 11 official global public health campaigns marked by the World Health Organization (WHO), along with World Health Day, World Chagas Disease Day, World Tuberculosis Day, World Immunization Week, World Patient Safety Day, World Malaria Day, World No Tobacco Day, World Hepatitis Day, World Antimicrobial Awareness Week and World AIDS Day.
The South African National Blood Service (SANBS) is a non-profit organisation that provides human blood for transfusion that operates in South Africa, with the exception of the Western Cape, which has its own blood service. The head office of the SANBS is in Constantia Kloof, Gauteng, near Johannesburg, but there are blood collection operations in eight of the nine provinces. Western Cape has a separate blood centre, the Western Cape Blood Service. SANBS was founded in 2001 from a merger of seven blood centres, and was embroiled in controversy in 2004 over a policy of racial profiling for blood safety.
Blood donation in Bangladesh is an activity conducted by several different organisations. As of 2011, about 25% of the nation's blood supply came from voluntary donation, 20–25% from paid donors, and 50–55% from one-time donation for a specific patient.
Monuments of Brugherio are three sculptures dedicated respectively to the Fallen during the First World War, to the Blood Donors and to Peace, which are at different points of the city center of Brugherio, is a municipality in the Italian region of Lombardy.
Blood donations in India are conducted by organisations and hospitals through blood donation camps. Donors can also visit blood banks in hospitals to donate blood. Efforts by the government and advocacy groups over the years have helped bridge the gap between demand and supply. The regulatory framework for blood donation and blood bank management rests with the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, while technical bodies like the National Blood Transfusion Council and National AIDS Control Organisation formulate guidelines and recommendations for transfusion medicine and blood bank management. Challenges persist with regards to regulation of blood banks and transfusion practices as the sector is largely fragmented with uneven distribution of blood banks and supply of blood in parts of the country. Donors are usually provided with refreshments after the procedure, which include glucose drinks, biscuits and fruits. Some organisations offer transportation facilities, as well as certificates or badges as gratitude.
The Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization or acronymly IBTO is the highest and only decision-making authority in the field of supply and distribution of healthy blood and blood products in Iran. This organization was established in July 31, 1974.
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