Blood donations: Ruhr-Uni Bochum sets an example for saving lives!

Blood donations: Ruhr-Uni Bochum sets an example for saving lives!

On June 13, 2025, the Ruhr University Bochum will be part of a special initiative under the motto “Only when it’s missing is it noticed.” This campaign aims to raise awareness about the importance of blood donations. Organizations and people symbolically do without the letters A, B and O in their names to draw attention to the blood types that are crucial when donating blood. Loud news.rub.de This campaign is particularly urgent as a blood supply is needed every seven seconds in Germany.

There is no artificial substitute for blood worldwide, which is why the population's willingness to donate is of utmost importance. Currently, only around 3% of citizens who are able to donate regularly donate blood. There is therefore an urgent need for more solidarity to ensure medical care in Germany. The German Red Cross (DRK) supports these efforts by offering blood donation appointments in the cafeteria on the Ruhr University campus once or twice a month. The next dates are available online.

Importance of blood groups

When it comes to blood transfusions, the compatibility of blood groups between donor and recipient is crucial. Mismatches can have serious consequences, such as clumping of red blood cells, which can be life-threatening. Rhesus-negative donors are in many cases more flexible, but they themselves require blood from Rhesus-negative donors. Rhesus-positive people, on the other hand, have access to a larger selection of donors. Loud drk-blutspende.de It is particularly important to understand the unique characteristics of each blood type.

Blood groups include A, B, AB and 0, with each group having specific antigens on the surface of the red blood cells. Blood group 0 is particularly notable because it contains no antigens and can therefore be used by recipients of all blood groups. This makes them an indispensable component in emergency situations. Carriers of blood type AB Rhesus positive can only donate to others with the same blood type, while people with blood type 0 can act as universal donors.

Need for blood donations

Around 15,000 blood donations are needed every day in Germany to ensure the care of emergency patients. Before each blood transfusion, a bedside test (ABO identity test) is carried out to correctly determine the patient's blood type. The Rhesus factor plays a crucial role in this because Rhesus-negative patients are only allowed to receive Rhesus-negative blood, while Rhesus-positive patients can receive both Rhesus-positive and Rhesus-negative blood. blooddonation.de highlights how important this information technology is for the safety of transfusions.

Nowadays, taking part in blood donation campaigns is more important than ever. The Ruhr University Bochum and the German Red Cross are jointly promoting these important initiatives in order to increase awareness among the population and mobilize the necessary solidarity. Anyone who would like to help has the opportunity to actively participate in one of the next blood donation campaigns and thus make a valuable contribution.