Blood supplies running low this summer, warns Red Cross

Blood reserves built up in May and June are already exhausted, Belgium's Red Cross has announced.

Poor blood collection in July was the main reason cited by the organisation, which is calling on the public to donate at blood drives as quickly as possible.

July and August are traditionally very difficult months for blood stocks needed by hospitals.

While the stocks built up in June enabled the imbalance between collections and demand to be overcome for a month, the forecasts for the coming weeks are insufficient to guarantee an acceptable service for hospitals, the Red Cross said.

One critical factor is that many people are on summer holidays, meaning no collections in schools or in many companies that traditionally organise them for employees.

At the same time, hospitals are continuing to operate normally, with the regular demand for blood amid lower supplies.

The Red Cross stressed the importance of blood donations from negative groups especially, known as "universal donors".

Bags of group O-negative blood are used in emergency situations by hospitals when the patient's blood group is not yet known or when compatible blood products are not available.

While 6-7% of the general population has group O-negative blood, 11-12% of transfusion needs are covered by this group.

Anyone interested in donating blood can make an appointment at www.donneurdesang.be, where they can locate a blood collection organised nearby, or can call the free number 0800 92 245.

“Let's think of those who need it,” the Belgian Red Cross said. “In 30 minutes, you can save three lives.”