The EFS calls for an urgent donation. It is necessary to increase the reserves of blood products to cover the drop in donors due to influenza in particular.
The French Blood Establishment (EFS) is launching an urgent appeal on Monday. As every year, the Christmas holidays have led to a sharp drop in the number of visitors to the collection sites. As a result, at the start of January, reserves are dwindling while needs remain constant. The objective of 100,000 bags of blood in reserve at the end of December was not reached, the French Blood Establishment had only 88,000 at that date.
In addition, the influenza epidemic is exacerbating this trend. According to the EFS, it also has “a significant impact on the level of collection at the start of the year”. This is all the more problematic as no product can substitute for the blood of voluntary donors. In addition, the shelf life of blood products is limited in time (5 days for platelets and 42 days for red blood cells).
45 minutes of his time
“The mobilization of donors remains essential every day,” recalls the EFS in a new campaign (1). “Your resolution for this month of January: share 45 minutes of your time with the EFS teams for a unique and singular experience”, he adds. 1 million patients could thus be treated this year thanks to the generosity of the French. To find out where to donate, visit dondesang.efs.sante.fr.
And to optimize their harvest, since January 2, 2017, several sites of the French Blood Establishment have been offering the public new days and opening hours in order to offer more possibilities for donating blood and welcoming more donors. This is the case, for example, in Normandy where 500 donations are needed every day to treat the sick.
Who can donate?
It is necessary :
– Be between the ages of 18 and 70
– Be provided with a photo ID
– Be recognized as suitable for donation
– Weigh at least 50 kg
It is recommended to eat before donating and drink well afterwards.
Allow 45 minutes to 1 hour for a blood donation.
(1) As in January 2015, the EFS is launching an emergency campaign because the needs for blood products are particularly important at the start of the year. Radios (RTL2, Fun, NRJ, RMC, “Indies”), TVs (C8 / Cstar, TMC, NT1, NRJ12, Sweetheart 25,BFM TV), social and digital media take over.
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