Source: LM
Context: The Government of India has released the country’s first comprehensive guidelines for veterinary blood transfusion services, addressing a major gap in emergency animal healthcare.
About India Launches First Veterinary Blood Transfusion Guidelines 2025:
- What it is?
- A national framework providing scientific protocols for animal blood donation, storage, and transfusion, ensuring safety, biosafety, and animal welfare.
- Launched by: The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), Government of India.
- Need:
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- Until now, most animal transfusions in India were done in emergencies without standardised protocols.
- No national system for donor screening, blood typing, storage, or registry.
- Required for managing trauma, anaemia, surgical blood loss, infectious diseases, and bleeding disorders in animals.
- Key Features:
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- Blood typing & cross-matching mandatory to prevent adverse reactions.
- Donor eligibility criteria: health checks, vaccination requirements.
- Voluntary donation encouraged through a Donor Rights Charter.
- Veterinary blood banks: state-regulated, biosafety-compliant infrastructure.
- One Health integration to manage zoonotic disease risks.
- Digital National Veterinary Blood Bank Network: real-time inventory tracking, digital registries, emergency helpline.
- Reporting mechanism for adverse reactions.
- Training modules for veterinary students and professionals.
- Future innovations: mobile blood collection units, preservation of rare blood types, donor–recipient matching apps.
