Vampiric twist to World Blood Donor Day
PR dla Zagranicy
Nick Hodge
14.06.2013 14:17
Warsaw is trying a novel method of urging people to give blood during today's World Blood Donor Day, with locals invited into the lair of hit US TV series True Blood.
Participants in World Blood Donor Day at the 'True Blood' tent in Warsaw. Photo: PAP/Radek Pietruszka
A special marquee has been set up at the foot of the capital's Palace of Culture and Science, where donors have the opportunity to try on vampire make-up, chomp on a ghoulish cupcake, and pick up free souvenirs from the HBO show.
Participants can give blood until 5 pm, and the process is being handled by doctors and nurses from the Military Blood Donation Centre.
Meanwhile, Dr Mariusz Zaczek, head of the Department of Internal Medicine at the municipal hospital in Siedlce, has told Polish Radio that every year there is a greater demand for blood in Poland.
“No factory is able to produce this,” he stressed.
“It can only be obtained from other people.”
There are currently about half a million donors in Poland, a large number of whom give blood several times a year.
Today marks the 10th World Blood Donor Day. It is held on 14 June in honour of Nobel Prize-winning Austrian biologist and physician, Karl Landsteiner, who made a breakthrough in distinguishing the main blood groups.
He was born on this day in 1868.
Source: IAR