Nearly 3 million blood donations are made each year in France by approximately 1.6 million donors. The demand for blood products is constantly increasing, particularly due to rising life expectancy.

The collection of human blood and its components is carried out by the French Blood Establishment (EFS) and the Armed Forces Blood Transfusion Center (CTSA). Blood donation, permitted for people aged 18 to 70, is governed by ethical principles enshrined in the law of January 4, 1993: anonymity, voluntary participation, informed consent, and non-profit status.

In addition to the systematic screening performed on each unit of blood, the selection of blood donors is a key factor in ensuring the safety of blood products. It aims to protect both the safety of donors (health issues that could be exacerbated by blood donation) and the safety of recipients of blood products.

The selection of blood donors consists of three complementary steps:

• pre-donation information, the content of which is governed by best practices in blood transfusion

• donor screening, which is based on both a questionnaire to be completed by the prospective donor and an interview with a healthcare professional. The format and content of the questionnaire are defined by the French National Agency for Medicines and Health Products Safety (ANSM) based on criteria established by ministerial decree (the most recent decree is dated January 11, 2022)

• post-donation monitoring, which relies on the donor reporting any medical events that occur within two weeks of the donation.

The main contraindications to donation for the recipient’s safety are established to minimize the risk of transmitting an infectious agent or a chemical or biological substance that may be present in the donor’s blood and potentially harmful to the recipient.