Blood donations in need: DRK calls for help in the holidays!

Blood donations in need: DRK calls for help in the holidays!

The German Red Cross (DRK) faces a threatening lack of blood pans, especially during the holidays. On the second Christmas day, the DRK is planning blood donation campaigns in several cities, including Kerpen, Herzogenrath and Bocholt to defuse the critical situation. Health service providers report on an alarming situation in which stocks for some blood groups only reach one or two days instead of the five to six days required. "We can no longer meet the requirements of the clinics," said Stephan David Küpper from DRK West. These bottlenecks could have dangerous consequences for patient care, especially in emergencies, where blood group 0 is indispensable as a universal donation. The ongoing disease waves and the holidays have affected the blood donation activities and led to a dramatic decline in the number of donors, such as rnd.de reported.

year 2024 marked another year with a significant lack of voluntary blood donors. The DRK blood donation service West reported that almost 40 percent of the clinic orders in blood group 0 could not operate negatively. The dreaded wave of illness could, if it increased again over the holidays, further tighten the already tense situation and let the supplies of the blood banks melt dangerously. The efforts to win new donors include innovative approaches such as pop-up blood donation stations in shopping markets that are supposed to attract young people in particular. The need is immense, not only for routine operations, but also for cancer patients that rely on platelets that are only durable for a few days, such as Stern.de> Stern.de> Stern.de reported.