“red alert” on the drop in donations

by time news

As the end of the year festivities approach, the French Blood Establishment (EFS) has issued a ” Red alert “ in the face of the drop in blood donations which is causing a shortage. “The situation is particularly worrying”deplores the president of the EFS François Toujas, ensuring that nearly 1,500 donations are missing every day.

In particular, the sharp drop in attendance at blood collection sites for three weeks due to winter illnesses, in the midst of an influenza and Covid-19 epidemic in France.

“The attendance at our collections is too low and the outlook for the start of the year is poor in an increasingly difficult context”, alerts the president of the establishment. Thus, less than 80,000 blood bags are available today, whereas more than 100,000 are needed.

Give during the holidays

The French Blood Establishment is broadcasting this call for solidarity to encourage donations even during the holidays. About 10,000 donations are needed every day, the lifespan of the blood products collected being limited to seven days for platelets and 42 for red blood cells. “The collection will not stop during the holidays”specifies the director of collection at the EFS, Hervé Meinrad, places being set up between Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Blood donation makes it possible to treat people directly via blood transfusion, in the case of haemorrhage, surgery or road accidents, for example. It is also used indirectly through the use of drugs derived from blood from donated plasma. According to the EFS, one million patients are cared for each year thanks to blood donation.

As a reminder, the conditions for donating blood are to be at least 18 years old, to weigh at least 50 kg and not to be sick. In the event of flu or Covid-19, the temporary contraindication to blood donation is two weeks. There is an online questionnaire to find out if you can give and make an appointment at a center near your home.

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