During the holiday season, the number of blood donations decreases while the needs are important after the resumption of hospital activities in September.
The importance of donating blood
The number of blood donations required in France per day is 10,000 and continues to increase. Blood is a substance impossible to synthesize or substitute thanks to a drug, making his gift an irreplaceable gesture. It exists three types of donations : blood, plasma and platelets.
The donations are then used in two scenarios: emergency situations (if there is bleeding, during surgery or childbirth) or for chronic needs (blood diseases and cancers). The plasma collected can also be used to create drugs that can treat more than 200 diseases, dont the beneficiaries represent half of the people saved thanks to the donation of sang.
In 2020, it is not less than 1,562,086 blood donors which have been identified, including 288,382 new donors. One donation saves three people, and it is in total a thousand patients who are treated per year.
How to donate blood?
To be able to donate blood, you must be between 18 and 70 years old and weigh more than 50 kilos. Donations are made on the basis of volunteering and anonymously. Only the EFS has knowledge of the identity of the donor, the recipient and their data.
Before donating, a test on the ESP website must be done in order to know if one is eligible to donate blood or not. Next, an appointment must be made at one of the nearest centers referenced on the site.
The donation takes place in four stages
- Home by an agent who will ask to present an identity card in order to register your file before submitting a questionnaire to be completed;
- A meeting prior to donation with a nurse to review responses and ensure donation is safe for both donor and recipient;
- Sampling blood, which is done in ten minutes and elongated. Depending on the donor’s weight, between 420 and 480 mL are taken;
- A moment of rest of about twenty minutes with a snack offered in conviviality with the other donors, supervised by a member of the EFS.
The next planned collections
- In Vitry-le-François, Wednesday, December 15 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. then from 2 p.m. to 6.30 p.m., but also on Thursday, December 16 from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. then from 3 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. in the hall of the Manège;
- In Saint-Dizier, Thursday, December 16 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. then from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Le Palace room;
- In Bar-le-Duc, Thursday, December 30 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the gymnasium on the Sainte-Catherine coast.
To donate blood, the health pass is not required, most wearing a mask is compulsory.
Before giving blood, it is strongly advised not to come on an empty stomach. You just have to pay attention to not eating foods that are too fatty and not consuming alcohol. After donating blood, it is important to remember to hydrate well.
A donor card will be issued after the second donation, because it is necessary to do two blood group checks to certify it. If after a blood donation, the donor has an infection, fever, medical information that was not given during the interview or feels discomfort or discomfort, it is necessary to contact the EFS where the donation was done.
If the person wishes to make a new donation, you must respect an interval delay
Contraindications to donation
In certain circumstances, donating blood may be considered unsafe.x. A person may therefore be unable to donate blood.
The majority of contraindications are temporary. They concern the medical field and health; personal and sexual practices, but also following a trip abroad. They are explained in more detail on the EFS website. A test can also be done on the Internet regarding the contraindications following a trip to find out if you can still donate blood or not.
However, it is possible to donate blood the day after an injection of the Covid-19 vaccine. For those infected with the virus, it will be necessary to wait 28 days and the disappearance of symptoms. As it concerns asymptomatic people, but with a positive test, the withdrawal period of 14 days.
The most popular blood groups
The groups B – and AB – are the rarest in France and only concern less than two percent of French people. Among these two groups, the AB group – is the most essential, because its plasma is compatible with all other blood groups.
Blood groups A -, B +, AB + and O – are quite in demand, because they do not include between them only 23.5% of the French. However, the group AB + is among the most sought after, because its plasma is universal. The O group – meanwhile is also the subject of many requests, because his platelets and red blood cells can be given to Rhesus (+ and -) positive recipients.
The A + and O + groups are the most common and together concern 75% of French people.
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