Hemophilia is a hereditary bleeding disorder that prevents blood from clotting properly. The World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) started World Hemophilia Day to promote a global effort to secure safe and effective treatment for everyone with a bleeding disorder. In tune with this year’s theme ‘Count Me In’ the WFH is aiming at identifying almost all of those with bleeding disorders in the world.

Hemophilia is a condition in which clotting of blood fails to take place in a normal manner. Following an accident, hemophilics suffer excessive bleeding, as it takes longer to heal, in comparison to normal individuals. This is due to a faulty clotting mechanism. Internal bleeding may also occur leading to organ damage, which may ultimately prove fatal. Hemophilia affects only the males because it is an X-linked disorder.

The term 'Genetic counseling' was proposed by Sheldon Reed in 1947 in response to the increasing knowledge of the role of genetics in health and disease. Genetic counseling is an educational process that seeks to assist affected individuals and other individuals at risk of getting an inherited condition to understand the nature of the genetic disorder, its transmission and the options open to them in management and family planning.

Blood donation is a procedure by which an individual donates blood voluntarily either for immediate use in a transfusion or to be stored for later use. The donors will be screened for any chronic or infectious diseases before they donate blood. People with history of hemophilia or any blood clotting disorder are strictly forbidden from donating blood.