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Donating blood is an act of solidarity that can be a matter of life and death. Students and staff of the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen are well aware of that, which is why every semester (except during the COVID-19 pandemic) they head to the Transfusion Department of the Pilsen University Hospital as part of the University Vampire event. This year, nearly a hundred of them joined. Specifically, forty university students and staff members participated in the 29th semester edition in November, donating a total of 18 liters of blood.

“My grandpa once had surgery and needed a lot of blood due to complications. That’s when I realized how important it is that there are people who donate — and I decided to become one of them,” explained Miroslav Soukup, a third-year student at the Faculty of Education. Some donors participate in University Vampire regularly. “For me, donating blood is something completely natural. It’s a small thing that can have a huge impact. If I can help, I’m happy to do it — whether it’s for a colleague, a student, or a complete stranger. I’ve been donating for years and see it as a normal part of life,” said Roman Černík from the Department of Pedagogy at the Faculty of Education, UWB.

Donor blood is in short supply in the Czech Republic. Every year, about 230,000 people in the country share this life-giving fluid, but according to transfusion centers, it’s not enough. They estimate that up to 80,000 active donors are missing for the system to be fully self-sufficient. Although Czechia has long been among countries with a high proportion of voluntary donors, their number has slightly declined in recent years. Every new donor is therefore immensely valuable. The most common blood group in the population is A (40–44%), followed by group 0 (30–34%), and these are also the ones most often in short supply.

University Vampire at UWB has been held in cooperation with the Transfusion Department of the Pilsen University Hospital since 2006. Since then, more than 3,000 people have donated as part of the event, providing over 1,000 liters of blood. The organizers are students and staff of the Faculty of Education, Faculty of Applied Sciences, and Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. “We’d like to thank everyone who took part — and those who are still considering it. Maybe next time, your drop of blood will save a life,” said one of the organizers, who wished to remain anonymous.

Anyone aged 18 to 65, weighing over 50 kg, and in good health can donate blood. Those interested in joining the next round of University Vampire in spring can find more details on social media and on the event’s website.