The French Blood Establishment invites those who can to donate their blood now, in anticipation of the Christmas period during which stocks will unfortunately be at their lowest.
Departure on vacation, Christmas shopping, preparation for the festivities… hangsBefore the holidays, the French are always very busy. This is why the French Blood Establishment (EFS) is calling for people to mobilize now to donate blood, in anticipation of the Christmas period during which stocks are unfortunately at their lowest. “By offering 45 minutes of their time, of which only ten for the collection stage, blood donors are making an essential and generous gesture, a gift that saves lives”, insists the EFS.
“No product can replace the blood of voluntary donors”
As during the summer holidays, those of Christmas are marked by a significant drop in donations. Donors are therefore invited to come in the 126 houses of the gift or in one of the many mobile blood drives held in December to make up for this lack.
10,000 blood donations are needed every day to treat patients: “for the reserves to be replenished regularly, it is essential that donors are present every day of the year”, recalled the organization last May. The difficulty of this eternal blood collection lies in the fact that donations have a limited lifespan: 5 days for platelets and 42 days for red blood cells. “No product can replace the blood of voluntary donors”.
In France, almost a third of blood transfusions are carried out in oncology departments, particularly for people with lymphoma or leukemia, diseases that directly affect the blood. In Brittany, 50,000 of the 144,000 annual blood donations are intended for cancer patients.
How do you know if you can donate blood?
Blood donation in France is based on the principle of voluntary work, like all organ donations. An ethical imperative, voluntary donation is free. If blood donation is therefore a generous act, it is nevertheless framed by rules defined by a European directive, according to donor selection criteria common to all Member States of the Union. In France, this directive is transposed in the form of a ministerial decree.
In practice, you must be between 18 and 70 years old, weigh more than 50 kg and be recognized as fit during the interview preceding the donation. After age 60, the first donation is subject to the assessment of an EFS doctor. More specifically, men can donate blood up to 6 times a year and women up to 4 times, but a minimum of 8 weeks must be respected between two donations. Contraindications linked to acts of care, a state of health, personal or sexual practices, stays abroad or the taking of certain medications and antibiotics are listed on the EFS website.
If a volunteer has a history of malaria, has undergone surgery in the last 4 months, carries a blood infection (HIV, viral hepatitis, etc.) has just had a tattoo, has traveled to an area where tropical diseases in the last 4 months, or had sex for money or drugs in the last 12 months, he will not be able to donate blood. This is to ensure the safety of donors and recipients.
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