As last year in June, the French Blood Establishment (EFS) calls for mobilization: blood reserves reach a “Worrying threshold”. The public establishment responsible for collecting and distributing labile blood products (blood, plasma, platelets) in France for transfusion, has observed a drop in the number of visits to its blood drives.
With less than 85,000 pockets of red blood cells, blood reserves are now too low and the situation is fragile, in particular on blood groups O and B, warns the EFS.
[#DonDeSang] ? With less than 85,000 bags, the blood reserves are too low and the situation is very fragile… https://t.co/5Ogbjf2tqB
On the occasion of World Blood Donor Day, which takes place Monday, June 14, François Toujas, president of the EFS since 2012, explains to the World in what “The renewal of donors is essential for the continuity of transfusion in France”.
In recent years, what is it that you are often on the verge of running out of stock at the beginning of June? Why are you reaching this alert threshold again today?
François Toujas: We are constantly led to renew stocks in order to be able to have suitable blood products because they have a limited shelf life. Regarding the red blood cell concentrate (which can be stored for up to 42 days) and therapeutic plasma (which can be frozen for up to a year), time is already running out. But blood platelets can only be kept for seven days, so there is no notion of stock, it is just-in-time.
Each year, there is less mobilization during the month of May, because of public holidays and bridges, and the summer holidays are generally less favorable periods for the donation. To this must be added all the consequences linked to the Covid-19 epidemic and the confinements. With the closures of businesses, universities, schools, and the emergence of teleworking during confinements, the offer of donations could not be made for several months in these places. This “mobile offer” represents 25 to 30% of the overall collection offer in the spring. This is to say its importance for us when it is disturbed.
The consumption of blood products by hospitals has also increased sharply in recent weeks. There is a catch-up phenomenon linked to operations that could not take place last year, which had been postponed because of the epidemic and which can finally be held today. But this has consequences: in the first week of June, we consumed about 48,000 blood products, whereas in normal times, we consume 42,000. That makes an increase of almost 10%.
The “scissor effect” due to less mobilization and an increase in demand from hospitals brings us to a worrying threshold, because we are below 85,000 blood products in stock while we are targeting 100,000 or even 120,000. at the beginning of July, to calmly approach the summer holidays.
Can anyone donate blood? Should we be vaccinated? Where do we have to go?
You can donate blood from 18 to 70 years old. You must be in good health, weigh more than 50 kg, and space each donation at least eight weeks apart.
A lot of false news is circulating about the Covid. There were no cases of transmission by blood transfusion. You can also donate blood after having had the Covid (you just have to wait at least fourteen days after the symptoms) and right after being vaccinated (whether it is the first or the second dose).
The conditions for donating blood are simple
The conditions for donating blood are straightforward although there are restrictions for the safety of both donors and recipients. During the last four months, you must not have changed sexual partners, have traveled to countries where malaria is rife, have had a tattoo or a piercing. If you’ve had a minor dentist’s surgery, it keeps you from donating for seven days.
But giving is very easy. Just make an appointment on our website or on our app – this helps to reduce the wait. We have reorganized 6,000 collection points in France and there will be summer collections by the sea, so that the French who go on vacation in France can also donate.
What are donations used for, and who benefits from them?
We often imagine that blood donation makes it possible to take charge of accidents and attacks, it is true, but it should be remembered that 60% of blood transfusions are scheduled in the hospital. They are intended for people with cancer, blood diseases (sickle cell anemia, leukopenia), during organ transplant operations; or hemorrhages from the delivery. These blood products are 99% non-substitutable, that is to say if they are essential.
This anonymous, free and voluntary donation is an extremely precious product, we are aware of it. Moreover, our goal is that there is no wasted donation. The expiration rate is only 0.05%, this is one of the demonstrations of the effectiveness of the system.
We are looking for quantitative self-sufficiency, but also qualitative, because we must administer the most suitable product to patients. Blood donation must reflect the diversity of our country. There are blood subgroups that are rarer, like R0r, which is very present in French people in the West Indies or sub-Saharan Africa, a population that is more affected by sickle cell disease. You can transfuse once with a negative O, but for people who have regular needs, you have to find the blood type absolutely identical, otherwise you risk being in a transfusion deadlock.
Is there a renewal of your donors?
The renewal of donors is essential for the continuity of transfusion in France. We have 1.7 million active donors per year but, among them, 170,000 leave our files each year for lack of eligibility conditions. It is therefore necessary to renew every year 10% of donors!
The under 30s represent 30% of donors, they are essential and we must retain them. This is also why we are addressing them through communication campaigns that are deployed on social networks.
The #PrenezLeRelais operation starts! ? From June 9 to July 9, you have “A month for ALL to give! »And go… https://t.co/vLYhqKCsE0
Whenever there is a serious event, there is an enormous citizen mobilization in favor of blood donation; we had seen him at the time of the attacks, or during the Covid-19 epidemic. But we cannot count on donating blood “by emotion”, we have to anchor it in a civic life, which means that we get into the habit of giving regularly in order to be in solidarity.