This month is Cord Blood Awareness Month and expectant families are encouraged to learn more about cord blood before the birth of their babies.
The US National Health Information Centre (NHIC) has designated the month of July as Cord Blood Awareness Month, which is a month-long campaign that encourages families worldwide to learn more about cord blood stem cells and the benefits of cord blood banking.
The world over, the campaign is promoted by hospitals and organisations so patients and families can help themselves to brochures and speak with their healthcare providers to learn all about cord blood banking.
In Malta, there is no awareness about this international campaign, so Stem Cells Malta is preparing a series of educational events to encourage expectant parents to learn more about cord blood research and the importance of participating in clinical trials to advance scientific knowledge and improve the treatment of disease.
Bone marrow transplants can treat and even cure some types of genetic disorders and blood diseases. Key to this potentially life-saving procedure is finding a matching donor.
Not all patients, however, are able to find a match among their relatives. In those cases, searching for an unrelated, matched donor can be a long, stressful and possibly unsuccessful process – especially for minorities such as the Maltese population.
Cord blood is obtained from your baby’s umbilical cord by the delivering doctor or midwife, moments after the birth. Cord blood is a rich source of hematopoietic stem cells, which have the ability to develop into various types of blood cells.
These cord blood stem cells may be used in bone marrow transplantation. Ongoing clinical research suggests that cord blood stem cells may potentially offer therapy in an ever-increasing list of diseases and disorders, such as cerebral palsy, type 1 diabetes, spinal cord injury, sickle cell disease, severe aplastic anemia and myelodysplastic syndromes, as is research to improve the yield of blood-forming stem cells.
After the birth of the baby, the cord blood collection process is a simple and safe procedure that requires approximately five minutes to complete, and the life-saving blood can be stored frozen for years at a fee.
In support of Cord Blood Awareness Month, Stem Cells Malta has created a slide show to promote awareness and encourage conversations about the benefits of cord blood banking.
The slide show describes the basic steps and encourages families to learn more so that they may make an informed and potentially life-changing decision.
Stem Cells Malta’s activities in support of Cord Blood Awareness Month can be followed on www.facebook.com/stemcellsmalta.
Stem Cells Malta (previously Smart Cells Malta), introduced cord blood banking to Malta in 2004 and has since been at the forefront of stem cell banking services locally, regularly increasing the range of services available to Maltese families. For more information, e-mail info@stemcellsmalta.com or call 2180 8362 or 7977 6278.