German Red Cross warns heatwave slashes blood donations

A recent heatwave has caused a sharp decline in blood donations across several German regions. The DRK blood‑service West reports up to 40 % fewer donations in North‑Rhine Westphalia, Rhineland‑Palatinate and the Saarland, jeopardising supply for more than 23 million residents. Similar shortages are reported by the DRK service covering Niedersachsen, Sachsen‑Anhalt, Thüringen, Bremen and Mecklenburg‑Vorpommern, where current stocks are about 8 400 units against a target of 10 000. The service needs roughly 3 000 donors daily, including 600 in Saxony‑Anhalt and Thuringia, to maintain adequate reserves.

Spokespersons Stephan David Küpper and Robert Harler appealed for donations on cooler days before the upcoming summer holidays and a forecasted second heatwave in early July. Additional mobile drives are planned, such as a July 18 session in Erfurt, and the public is urged to use the current milder temperatures to help restore blood‑product inventories.

The DRK stresses that blood components cannot be stockpiled long‑term—platelets last only four days—so each donation is critical for surgeries, emergency care and cancer treatment throughout Germany.