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The World Health Organization says millions of people are at risk from unsafe blood. In a report out to mark World’s Health Day, the agency says up to a fifth of all blood donations aren’t tested for HIV and other transmittable diseases. It is calling on governments, particularly in the developing world to make blood safety a health priority. Our Geneva correspondent Claire Doole has this report:
     "The majority of the world doesn’t have access to safe blood supplies or reliable transfusion services. New figures published by the World Health Organization show 20% of all donated blood isn’t tested, putting millions of lives at risk. The WHO says the tens of thousands of HIV sufferers infected by contaminated blood every year is just the tip of the iceberg. Tens of millions of people annually go down with Hepatitis B, C as well as malaria because of unsafe blood injections and transfusions. Most of the victims are from the developing world where testing is either too expensive or inadequately carried out. The WHO says the shortage of safe blood means countless lives are being lost on the operating table. It estimates that 150.000 women die needlessly a year because of loss of blood during pregnancy related illnesses. The agency wants governments to make blood safety a priority, urging them over the next five years to set up improved transfusion services."