World Health Organisation

Representatives from the National Health Department, the Milne Bay Provincial Health Authority as well as respective development partners such as UNICEF, World Health Organisation, Japan International Cooperation Agency and OPEC Fund for International Development, will be present on the day to mark this occasion for the people of Milne Bay.

Background information from World Health Organisation
Every year, on June 14, countries around the world celebrate World Blood Donor Day.

The event serves to thank voluntary, unpaid blood donors for their life-saving gifts of blood and to raise awareness of the need for regular blood donations to ensure the quality, safety, and availability of blood and blood products for patients in need.

Last week, the World Health Organisation new research has strengthened the link between Zika and foetal abnormalities, and sexual transmission of the virus is more common than previously thought.

The acting deputy director for public health at the Pacific Community, formerly the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, Dr Salanieta Saketa, said there needed to be more awareness about sexual transmission.