For the first time, the EFS has launched a campaign to raise awareness about rare blood types. This call for donations, which runs until November 21, particularly concerns donors of African and Caribbean origin.
Generally, people who donate blood are part of the most well-known blood groups such as A, B, O, and Rh positive and negative, but today the EFS is reaching out to individuals with rare blood types.
Blood is considered “rare” when its frequency in the population does not exceed 0.4% and there is no alternative solution for transfusing people who carry it. In France, out of the 250 existing blood groups, 700,000 people are thought to carry a rare blood type.
To find out if this applies to you, you simply need to donate blood at one of the establishments and see which blood group you belong to. These vary based on our genes, racial and geographical origins.
The main aim of this campaign is to help people affected by sickle cell disease. This serious blood disorder primarily affects people of African or Caribbean origin, but also French people, causing intense pain crises, severe anemia, infections, and respiratory insufficiencies.
To find the nearest donation center, you can visit the site directly at: https://dondesang.efs.sante.fr/trouver-une-collecte?menu=da
