June 14 is World Blood Donor Day every year. This is a great meeting to thank volunteer blood donors worldwide.

Operation “#PrenezLeRelais, 1 month to give everyone! “

An initiative launched by the World Health Organization (WHO), World Blood Donor Day (WDDD) has taken place every year in France since 2004. This year, on the occasion of the WDDD, the French Blood Establishment (EFS) is launching in partnership with the M6 ​​Group a large-scale operation from June 11 to July 13: “#Take the baton: 1 month to give everyone! “.

Objective of the operation? Donate blood and then pass the baton on to those around them to encourage as many people as possible to do the same. This call for general mobilization is all the more important given that reserves are particularly low in June and that summer is coming.

After the many public holidays in May and the approach of the summer vacation, the situation is very fragile. Let us all be mobilized because the needs are permanent: the lifespan of red blood cells is limited to 42 days and that of platelets to 7 days.

Additional collections throughout France

From June 11 to July 13, all EFS collection points will be dressed in the colors of the “#Take the baton” operation. During this period, the EFS organizes numerous event collections with sporting events and mobile fun activities. On the program: solidarity, sharing and conviviality!

In total, 7 collection points will be accessible during the operation. Find out now the collections organized near you on the interactive map available at the following address: dondesang.efs.sante.fr/trouver-une-collecte or on the application now available on smartphone or tablet.

10 blood donations needed every day

The operation “#Take the baton” calls for a dynamic of national solidarity to come to the aid of the thousands of patients in need of blood transfusions or blood-derived drugs.

In France, it is estimated that 10 blood donations are needed every day to cover the needs of patients. This number is only an average. More is needed, especially to compensate for days when donations are lower or even more necessary: ​​public holidays, bad weather, epidemics, etc. .

Today, it is estimated that more than 200 diseases can be treated with drugs derived from blood. Recipients can be seriously injured, burn victims, intensive care patients, patients with autoimmune diseases, etc. Recipients can also be people requiring occasional or regular blood transfusion: a traffic accident, women afterwards. difficult childbirth, patients with a chronic disease such as sickle cell anemia …

Thank you to over 1,6 million donors

The “#Take the baton” operation, launched on the occasion of World Blood Donor Day, is also an opportunity to salute the commitment of the hundreds of thousands of people who come to the collection points each year. In 2018, more than 1,6 million of you donated blood. Almost 300 of you were making your first donation. And thanks to this collective outpouring of solidarity, 000 million patients have been treated!

Patients say a big THANK YOU!