What is it?
Cord blood is the blood and tissue taken from the placenta and umbilical cord after a baby is born. This blood is useful in medicine due to the high concentration of stem cells found within it, and it can be used to treat a variety of illnesses. It also has a very low rejection rate when compared to a regular blood transfusion.
Facts
- The first successful umbilical cord blood transplant took place in 1988, and was performed on a 5-year-old boy. The condition he was originally diagnosed with had a 5 to 10 year life expectancy, but thanks to the transplant, he is still alive today.
- Since then, there have been over 40,000 cord blood transplants worldwide.
- Cord blood is only collected 5-10% of the time, and most of the time it is discarded as medical waste.
- Cord blood, once collected, can be stored for over 23 ½ years, and there are over 4 million samples in storage.
- More than 80 diseases have been identified so far as being treatable with cord blood- these include stem cell disorders, leukaemia, and sickle cell disease.
- Cord blood is taken by cutting into the umbilical cord, so the procedure to donate it is completely painless.
Why is cord blood awareness month held?
Cord blood awareness month is shared for three main reasons:
- To raise awareness of what cord blood is and to highlight its importance.
- To encourage more parents to donate the cord tissue when they have children.
- To educate people on what cord blood is currently able to treat, and the history of how its medical significance was discovered.
Useful websites for more information
https://www.blood.co.uk/news-and-campaigns/the-donor/latest-stories/donating-cord-blood/