The French Blood Establishment launches an appeal for donations before a risky summer

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Summer holidays, major road trips, the Paris Olympics… Faced with low blood stocks, the EFS is calling on the French to give blood in preparation for the summer season.

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More than 10,000 blood bags are missing to ensure that the stock is sufficient to last through the summer, according to the EFS. (MAGALI COHEN / HANS LUCAS via AFP)

“We need you !” : the message on the site of theThe French Blood Establishment is clear and is therefore calling on all French people to mobilise. Blood reserves are too low as the summer holidays approach. While these stocks usually fluctuate according to national events, since the European elections, blood donation establishments have noted a drop in donations.

It is indeed very quiet at the Créteil blood donation center on Wednesday, July 3: barely 20 donors are present while there were 50 slots available. Among them, Raphaël, a regular donor that the French Blood Establishment contacted by telephone. “They needed to avoid a shortage and to increase the blood bag stocks a little, so I quickly made an appointment.”he testifies.

Raphaël, a regular donor, was called by the EFS to come and give blood. (SOLENNE LE HEN - FRANCEINFO - RADIO FRANCE)

Since the European elections, the French have had their minds elsewhere, explains Stéphane Noël, director of the French Blood Establishment in Ile-de-France. “The French have their minds occupied by other things at the moment… It could be the Olympic Games, it could be the political or social context, and today the French have less capacity to mobilize and turn towards others. In fact, blood donation is somewhat affected by this global context.”

The holding of the European and legislative elections, which mobilized community halls, also disrupted the usual collection. Result: more than 10,000 blood bags are missing to ensure that the stock is sufficient to last through the summer.

“We have 91,000 products in stock nationally, we need to get to 105,000 products within two weeks.”

Stéphane Noël, director of the French Blood Establishment of Ile-de-France

to franceinfo

“You can register if you are between 18 and 70 years old, if you weigh more than 50 kilos, if you feel healthy, take your phone, you register, you do a small eligibility test and you can give your blood with confidence. It’s very simple, it’s very easy, it only takes an hour of your time and in one hour you save three lives”argues Stéphane Noël of the EFS, recalling that during the summer, the disease does not take a vacation.

“People who have cancer will continue to need transfusion support to be taken care of. The mother who is going to give birth and who could have a hemorrhage, we need large quantities of blood products to help her and ensure that this mother can accompany her baby, people who are going to have a road accident on the way to their vacation, etc.”

The French Blood Establishment also needs stocks to prepare for any eventuality during the Olympic Games, including that of an attack.


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