Cord blood is nothing but the blood which is found in the umbilical cord just after the birth of the baby. It’s been medically proved that this particular blood is a rich source of stem cells, which are considered as builders of blood cells in the human body.
Cord blood which is seen as a source of stem cells generally produces and caters to the blood cell requirements of a human body. Medically, bone marrow has been considered as a great source of stem cells and bone marrow transplant is increasingly being used as a treatment in case of various problems related to blood, neurotic or genetic disorders. Today, besides bone marrow there are other reliable resources of retrieving stem cells, they are the peripheral blood and the Umbilical Blood Cord.
Lately, it has been found that the blood collected from the cord, contains stem cells that are richer in quality than the cells retrieved from other sources. This blood can be easily obtained after a child’s birth. As the blood is collected after the delivery, the child is not harmed in any way. After the blood is collected in special containers by the trained staff of the health center, it then undergoes processing and is stored in special centers known as cord blood banks. This blood can be later used to get the stem cells in case of a transplant.
Considering the relative advantages of storing the cord blood of baby, many families get themselves registered at various blood collecting centers or banks. These days Cord blood bank facility is being provided by both private and public centers. In a public cord blood bank (cbb), the cord blood that is donated is “tissue typed’ and added to a public database, where it is easily available for any patient at the time of need, provided the blood matches. In a public cbb, the blood is available free of cost and irrespective of color, race, status and rank.
These days, people also get the cord blood stored in a private bank, after paying a nominal fee for the storage and reservation of blood. This can later be used by the donor for the treatment of any life threatening disease that might crop up in his family in the future. A lot of private cord blood banks have come up in recent times. But along with it there are many arguments also for and against private umbilical cord blood banking. Some critics argue that it is unethical to save the precious baby blood in the private banks while others refute their argument by saying that it can be very useful in cases where there is a family history of stem cell related problems. If a family can afford to bear the expenses of private banking and thereby save the life of member, no body should have a problem.
Umbilical cord blood banking is becoming pretty famous and wide spread because of its capability of treating various diseases. Today, more and more people are recognizing the use of the cord blood and therefore more banking centers are also being opened. Once you have taken the decision to collect and preserve the Cord Blood of your baby, you just have to get yourself registered at some private or public bank, so that the authorities collect process and store the blood with proper care for future use. So before going for cord blood registry please make sure that you clear all your doubts related to private or public banking, after all it is a question of investing on a healthy and secure life of your family
