“Less than 85,000 blood bags are available today when more than 100,000 are needed to meet the needs of patients during this winter period”, alerted the French Blood Establishment (EFS) in a press release published on Thursday. .
"The collection will not stop during the holidays," said Hervé Meinrad, director of collection and production at the EFS, quoted in the press release, calling for the mobilization of the population.
Some "10,000 donations are needed every day to treat patients, for whom blood transfusions are the only alternative to being treated", recalls the EFS, which therefore calls for a necessary mobilization of donors in the face of the drop in blood supplies.
Epidemics “strongly affect donors”
Mobilization for blood donation must be daily because the shelf life of blood products is limited (seven days for platelets, 42 days for red blood cells).
According to the EFS, holidays, difficult weather conditions, preparation for festivities or even seasonal epidemics are all factors leading to 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", explained the establishment.
A list of collection points can be viewed on the dondesang.efs.sante.fr website or on the Don de sang app.
Health
Isère: Blood donations down 13% in October, residents called to mobilize
Health
Blood donation: “A race against time”… After collection, what is the route of a blood bag?
Company