The French Blood Establishment (EFS) called this Thursday for a necessary mobilization of donors due to the drop in blood supplies, altered by winter viruses. “Today there are less than 85,000 blood bags available when more than 100,000 are needed to cover the needs of patients during this winter period,” the EFS detailed in a press release.
“The collection will not stop during the holidays”, underlines Hervé Meinrad, director of Collection and Production of the SAI, quoted in the press release, calling for the mobilization of the population. Every day some “10,000 donations are needed to treat patients, for whom blood transfusions are the only alternative to being treated,” recalls the EFS.
A mobilization that must be daily
Mobilization for blood donation must be daily because the useful life of blood products is limited (7 days for platelets, 42 days for red blood cells). According to the SAI, holidays, difficult weather conditions, preparation for the festivities or even seasonal epidemics are factors that cause a drop in attendance at donation sites.
This year, the flu and Covid-19 epidemics “strongly affect donors”, but also EFS staff, “which sometimes forces them to cancel or reduce collections,” the establishment explained. A list of the collection points can be seen on the dondesang.efs.sante.fr website or on the Don de sang app.
Source: BFM TV
