Blood donations plummeted before the summer holidays. There are currently up to 30 percent fewer donations, a spokesman for the blood donation service of the German Red Cross (DRK) in Munich told the AFP news agency. “There are hardly any buffers, hardly any reserves, almost everywhere on the shelves it is empty.”
The spokesman justified this, among other things, with the very high demand for blood products in the hospitals, where many operations that were postponed due to the corona pandemic are currently being made up for. At the same time, after the pandemic-related restrictions of previous years, there is an “incredible urge to travel” among Germans. As a result, donors are “not available”.
“We now need a trend reversal to avert a serious emergency,” said the DRK spokesman before the World Blood Donor Day on June 14th. On the one hand, continuity in blood donation is necessary. In Germany, for example, only around three percent of the population regularly donates blood. In order to ensure the long-term supply of blood preparations, a proportion of around six percent is necessary. Blood products have a limited shelf life.
It is also important to bring back young first-time donors who donated blood during the peak of the pandemic and relieve the risk groups and to win them over for regular donations. One or two blood donations a year would be helpful, said the spokesman. Normally men can donate blood up to six times and women up to four times within twelve months.
The DRK appealed to the citizens to go to a blood donation center before going on vacation. “We need continuity over the summer,” said the spokesman. On average, around 14,000 blood donations are needed every day in Germany for operations, accident victims and the treatment of serious illnesses such as cancer.
On World Blood Donation Day, the DRK is again calling for donations and will answer the most important questions and answers on the subject of blood donation:
Who can donate blood?
In principle, anyone between the ages of 18 and 68 can donate blood, with the maximum limit for the first donation being 60 years. In principle, older people are still eligible if their state of health allows it. This is checked before each donation.
How often can blood be donated?
Women are allowed to donate blood four times and men six times within a year. The period between two blood donations must be at least eight weeks. The body regenerates blood cells in two weeks, but it takes about two months to compensate for the loss of iron, and a little longer for women. A blood donation can help up to three seriously ill or injured people. However, blood preparations only last a maximum of 42 days, and some concentrates only last a few days.
Are the blood donations enough?
According to the German Red Cross, only three percent of the population donate blood on a regular basis. In order to ensure a sufficient supply of blood preparations in the long term, around six percent would have to donate regularly. The experts are particularly worried about demographic change. Every year around 100,000 active blood donors in Germany drop out due to age or illness. On the other hand, the need among older people is increasing.
Especially in summer, when many people are on vacation, blood supplies are regularly running out. In addition, the corona pandemic kept numerous potential donors away. At the beginning of the Corona crisis, blood donations dropped dramatically in places. Demand also fell because clinics canceled many operations, and the situation was stable again in the meantime. But the number of interventions is increasing, also because of numerous catch-up operations. According to the DRK blood donation service, there are currently hardly any reserves.
Who is excluded from donating blood?
Anyone who was ill with Covid-19 may only donate two weeks after recovery. People with cold symptoms are generally not allowed to donate blood. During pregnancy and after childbirth, women should temporarily not donate blood. A temporary exclusion also applies after many vaccinations and trips abroad to malaria areas or countries with a risk of hepatitis. It is temporarily not possible to donate after major operations or when taking certain medications.
After acupuncture treatments, unless they can be proven to have been carried out in a sterile manner, as well as piercings and tattoos, you have to wait at least four months before the next donation in order to rule out infections with certainty. Waiting periods also apply to people whose sexual behavior may put them at higher risk of transmitting an infectious disease such as hepatitis or HIV.
Is there a permanent ban?
This applies, for example, to certain pre-existing conditions such as insulin-dependent diabetes, hepatitis or chronic inflammatory diseases.
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