Could your blood save lives? Donate now on World Blood Donor Day!

Could your blood save lives? Donate now on World Blood Donor Day!

On Saturday, June 14, 2025, World Blood Donor Day is all about blood donation. The aim of this day of action, which was launched by the World Health Organization (WHO), is to spotlight the importance of blood donation and to raise awareness among the population. In La Réunion, around 19,000 people donate blood every year, which corresponds to just 4% of the eligible population. This shows that there is still a lot of room for improvement here. The French Blood Donor Institute (EFS) has already launched a call for mobilization, especially during the holiday periods, as there is often a shortage of blood donations during these months.

Reunion Island currently needs 4,000 additional blood donors to keep stocks at a safe level, as the current blood supply only lasts 12 days. The rules are clear: a single blood donation can save up to three lives, but donors should be prepared for the entire process to take around 45 minutes. Among the needs of patients, blood groups 0 and B are particularly popular, which is due to the diversity in the area.

Calls for donations and planned campaigns

In La Réunion, around 10,000 chronically ill patients are currently waiting for blood donations. Cancer patients who need up to 8 donors per week are particularly affected. In cases of severe bleeding, it may even be necessary to provide up to 50 donors. Against this background, the planning of several blood donation campaigns is of great importance: around 800 donors are expected in Nordev on June 14th and 15th, followed by events in Cimendef, Saint-Paul on June 19th and in the Henri Ganofsky high school, Saint-Joseph on June 28th. These campaigns aim to address the lack of blood donations.

Although the average donation frequency is 1.6 donations per year, doubling this could help address the challenges. EFS is particularly focused on the younger generation under 25, as 170,000 people in France leave the solidarity chain every year. In order to further increase the willingness to donate, EFS is planning Saturday collections in the future, and there are proposals to relax the criteria for accepting donors from September 1, 2025. This could be a step in the right direction to reach more people and include them in the blood donor community.

Limited mobilization and health hurdles

Despite these initiatives, mobilization remains a challenge. Common health contraindications, such as travel to risk areas or certain infections, can result in potential blood donors being unavailable. A persistent decline in blood donations in France also poses a serious problem. Between 2008 and 2012, the number of annual blood donors was between 1.6 and 1.7 million. Currently there are only around 1.5 million, which corresponds to a decline of 100,000 to 200,000 donors over a decade. This development is particularly worrying as needs continue to increase due to the population increase of 2.5 million inhabitants between 2010 and 2020.

While some progress is being made, the challenge remains: the amounts of blood and plasma needed for injured individuals or patients with blood disorders are often insufficient. Therefore, anyone who agrees to donate could not only help their neighbor, but also make a valuable contribution to the community.

For more information and to register for a blood donation drive, interested citizens can contact EFS at 02.62.90.53.92. Let us work together to ensure that the blood reserve remains sufficient and that we are there for each other.

For a deeper insight into the current statistics, the infographic from statista.com can also be viewed, which illustrates the development of blood donor numbers in France. In addition, numerous studies by blutspenden.de have examined the importance and challenges of blood donation.