China and UAE work towards safe blood donation target

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that China and the United Arab Emirates have made "impressive strides" in combating unsafe blood contamination.

Both countries have now reached close to 100 per cent voluntary blood donation, only 54 countries in the world have reached this landmark figure to date.

The efforts of the two countries are to be used as models for other nations to follow in their attempts to lower the risk of contamination from unsafe blood.

Carissa Etienne, assistant director-general for health systems at the WHO, said that protecting blood donation is "particularly crucial to the health of woman and children".

"Access to safe blood is a key component of effective health care and voluntary donors are the cornerstone of a safe blood supply," she added.

This announcement follows the news that close to three million people worldwide are now receiving anti-retroviral treatment in the fight against the HIV and Aids epidemic.

A report by the WHO, UNAIDS and Unicef showed that an extra one million people were given access to the treatment in 2007, compared to the previous year.