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The German Red Cross blood donation service considers the supply situation in Hesse to be critical. (Symbolic image) © Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa
The blood donation service of the German Red Cross is struggling with a summer slump. Why there are too few donors – and which myth persists.
Frankfurt/Main – According to the German Red Cross (DRK), blood supplies are gradually becoming scarce in Hesse. “We have about 10 to 15 percent fewer donations than we need to ensure a secure supply,” said Martin Oesterer from the DRK blood donation service. Demand from hospitals is currently higher than the supply of blood supplies, particularly for blood types A negative and 0 negative.
More holidaymakers, fewer blood donors
“It’s the case every summer that donors are on vacation,” said Oesterer. Anyone who has been on vacation in a malaria risk area like Thailand is also not allowed to donate for six months afterwards. In addition, this summer there was the European Football Championship and the Summer Olympics: for example, some soccer games took place at times when many people would normally come to the donation centers, said Oesterer.
Thomas Steiner, spokesman for the University Hospital of Giessen and Marburg, was calm. “Things are always a bit thin during the holidays,” he said. The supply situation is comparable to that in the summer months of previous years. “We always adapt to this,” said the spokesman. The Darmstadt Hospital also said that they are “still very well equipped.”
