Some 4,000 blood donors are expected from Thursday to Sunday at the Paris City Hall for a record collection supported by two French streamers, Arkunir and Fares Bichard, which allows the French Blood Establishment (EFS) to reach young people.
This giant collection closes the "Donation Marathon" organized since January by the EFS, dotted with 29 collections which brought together 3,206 donors in France in sports venues, thanks to a partnership with sports federations and football and rugby clubs.
The two influencers Arkunir and Fares Bichard, who "spontaneously contacted" the EFS to support the cause of blood donation, Guillaume du Chaffaut, its general director, explained to AFP, will hold a special live broadcast on Twitch on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Their call for donations "We're going to set the European record for blood donations!" on X in mid-November caused a surge in registrations, since out of some 4,100 slots open, only 350 remained to be filled the day before the event.
And since this announcement, the EFS has recorded 20% more appointments than in September and October, across the whole of France.
"We thought that influencers were a good lever to help us, in addition to our usual communication campaigns, to reach this younger, more connected, more mobile community," explains Mr. du Chaffaut.
If the mobilization of young people to donate blood is "rather good" in France where "30% of donors are under 30 years old" he specifies, the EFS needs to "renew this population of donors" who, once they have entered "working life, always drop out a little... before coming back a little later".
In addition, the EFS must "bring young people in good shape" into its donor database in order to significantly increase plasma collection - in addition to blood donation - a "major challenge" for health sovereignty over the next four years.
"Today, 65% of the plasma used in France to manufacture medicines comes from abroad, particularly from the United States" where the donation is paid, and is therefore carried out in an "unethical framework" unlike in France where it is free, specifies Mr. du Chaffaut.
"Our goal is to reach 1.4 million liters of plasma collected in 2028" compared to 850,000 liters this year, he said.
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