Barely seven years to World Health Organisation's 100 percent voluntary blood donation target by 2020, experts have blamed the inability of Nigeria to meet up with the global target on misconceptions.
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Executive Secretary, Lagos State Blood Transfusion Committee, LSBTC, Dr. Modupe Olaiya, who spoke during Cadbury Nigeria Employees Voluntary Blood Donation initiative, regretted that Nigeria still ranked low with less than 10 per cent voluntary non-remunerated blood donations.
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Olaiya listed some of the misconceptions to include fear of contracting human immunodeficiency virus, HIV, among other infections, fear of developing fever after blood donation, fear of excessive weight loss and intercourseual failure.
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Olaiya, who is also a Consultant Haematologist, observed that same unconfirmed fears had held down Lagos State to record just seven per cent of voluntary non-remunerated donations since 1984 when the committee was established.