Around 14,000 blood donations are needed in Germany every day, often enough to save lives. In summer in particular, fewer donations are made, and canned goods are becoming very scarce. Therefore, there is currently a special appeal to go to donate blood. Anyone can – and how often?
Blood is a precious juice: In Germany, around 14,000 blood donations are needed every day for operations, accident victims and the treatment of serious illnesses such as cancer. According to the German Red Cross (DRK), it was difficult to cover the normal need for blood supplies during the Corona crisis. With the summer approaching, a classic dry spell for the donation services. For World Blood Donor Day on June 14th, donations are once again called for. Questions and answers:
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.
How long do the blood bags last?
Blood preparations only last a maximum of 42 days, some concentrates even only 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 one hundred thousand active blood donors in Germany drop out for reasons of age or because of 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.