With the supply of nearly all blood groups at "critically low" levels, Belgium is in serious need of blood donations. Only the B+ blood group is in sufficient supply.
Two weeks ago, the Red Cross already announced that blood donations had fallen sharply due to flu and Covid. And while that call produced a response from donors, the situation at the Belgian level has not improved.
"We normally have a continuous supply for a full working week, but this is no longer the case," spokesperson Joachim Deman told VRT. "It has never happened that a patient does not get any blood."
On the Red Cross website, the graph makes the shortage plain to see: only blood group B+ has sufficient reserves; all other blood groups are in the red.
Only blood group B+ has a sufficient supply. Credit: Red Cross
"O-negative needs to be replenished urgently. That is the universal blood group that can be administered to anyone, an important trump card to have on hand," Deman said, adding that there are a number of reasons for the depleted stock.
First of all, blood can only be stored for about 42 days, meaning that a constant flow of donors is needed. "We cannot build up a reserve for, say, six months. In the first half of this year, we saw 15% more cancellations than the year before due to illness, mostly flu or Covid. That is still simmering a bit."
However, the Red Cross noticed that many people who cancelled did not make a new appointment afterwards. "But you can donate blood again after two weeks without symptoms," Deman stressed.
Related News
- Belgium struggling to meet demand for donor sperm
- Belgium wants to make it easier for gay men to donate blood
Furthermore, the organisation is seeing its structural donors – who donate several times a year – decrease by 10% each year, mostly due to a move or illness. "We are grateful for every donor, even if they only come once, but there is a great need for permanent donors."
To reinforce this message, Federal Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke is visiting the Red Cross donor centre in Brussels this afternoon.
A person can donate blood four times a year, each time at least two months apart. There are 13 permanent donor centres, as well as numerous local (temporary) blood collections.
You can check if you are able to give blood and book an appointment via this link. More info can be found at rodekruis.be or via the free number 0800 777 00.
