European Day for Organ, Tissue and Cell Donation
A day dedicated to the gift of hope, every second Saturday of October
#europeandonationday
There are so many reasons to hope
The possibility to use human organs, tissues and cells to treat patients is one of the great medical success stories of modern times, offering major therapeutic benefits and improvements to quality of life. In many cases, it is the only treatment that can restore essential functions, such as sight, or save patients facing end-stage organ failure.
Demand for transplantable organs, tissues and cells still far exceeds supply, with terrible consequences for millions of people worldwide just like you, just like anyone else who wants to live their life. Tens of thousands of new patients are added on waiting lists each year in Council of Europe member states. Far more than those who receive a transplant. Find the latest numbers in the Newsletter Transplant.
Make that one decision
If you would like to save or improve the lives of many others, even after your death, speak to your relatives and friends about your personal choice concerning organ, tissue and cell donation. You may also encourage them to say yes to giving the invaluable gift of donation!
Consider helping others during your lifetime as well by registering to donate your progenitor cells, found in your bone marrow or peripheral blood, which can be used for the treatment of blood disorders and immune diseases. When a baby is born, you can also donate the umbilical cord blood, which is no longer needed by the baby and is also rich in progenitor cells, and/or the placenta. You can also help others fulfil their dream of becoming parents by donating oocytes, sperm or excess embryos you will no longer use after having completed your family.
For more information, contact the organ donation and transplantation institution in your country.
Spread the word
Share information about organ donation with friends and family and on social media platforms. Follow us, join our social media campaign and help us reach as many people as possible.
Participate in events
Attend EDD events and activities in your community or online. Find information on activities in your country.
Volunteer
Offer your time to organisations working on organ donation awareness and support.
EDD is born of hope, compassion and a profound understanding that every organ donor can play a crucial role in someone else’s story, but that this message of hope needs to be heard to achieve positive change. The European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM), a part of the Council of Europe, initiated EDD to raise awareness about the transformative, life-saving power of organ donation in 1996. Since then, this annual celebration honouring donors and their families has been reminding us not only that behind every statistic is a human being, a family and a community transformed by the gift of life, but that we can all make a real difference and be part of the solution.
A different host country every year
Every year, on the second Saturday of October, the EDQM sponsors EDD in a host country, which organises events to raise public awareness of the need for organ, tissue and cell donation, promote the principle of voluntary and non-remunerated donation, and honour donors and healthcare professionals.
The EDD 2024 social media campaign
EDQM’s work on organ, tissue and cell donation and transplantation
EDD fits in quite naturally with the work of the EDQM, which is active in many areas touching on substances of human origin in general: blood, organs, tissues and cells. The EDQM:
- works to harmonise technical and ethical standards for healthcare professionals and policy makers, further facilitating co-operation and collaboration, through its benchmark guides on the quality and safety of blood, organs and tissues and cells;
- develops and disseminates programmes and tools for blood, organ and tissue and cell establishments to help them develop and verify systems designed to achieve the best outcomes;
- participates in the collection, analysis and publication of essential data on transplantation practices and trends worldwide through the annual Newsletter Transplant, the Network of National Focal Points on Travel for Transplantation (NETTA) and its Registry of International Travel for Transplantation Activity (RITTA);
- participates in global efforts to fight organ trafficking, contributing to the implementation of the Convention against Trafficking in Human Organs and the Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings;
- publishes information booklets for the general public on transplantation issues, ranging from fertility preservation to how transplant recipients can maintain good health.
Useful freely available guidance and information for health professionals
Guide to the quality and safety of organs for transplantation - 8th Edition (2022)
Transplant medicine and transplantation have progressed in recent decades in a way that nobody could have imagined before, yet demand for transplantable organs still far exceeds supply – with important consequences for health. The transplantation of organs offers major therapeutic benefits and improvements to quality of life and is, in many cases, the only life-saving treatment for end-stage organ failure. As with all substances of human origin, transplantation of human organs entails a risk of disease transmission. Comprehensive quality systems and appropriate donor screening and selection must therefore be in place to guarantee the best possible transplantation outcomes. The Guide to the quality and safety of organs for transplantation (Organ Guide) contributes to meeting this need.
The 8th Edition of the Organ Guide collates state-of-the-art information to provide an indispensable overview of the most recent advancements in the field and technical guidance to ensure the safety and quality of human organs intended for transplantation, with the ultimate goal of improving successful and safe organ transplantation rates. Easy access to this information is essential for all stakeholders concerned – professionals involved in identifying possible organ donors, co-ordinators managing living or deceased donation pathways, those responsible for the allocation and clinical use of human organs, quality managers within the process, and health authorities responsible for donation and transplantation programmes.
Learn more by reading the Organ Guide information leaflet (PDF).
The electronic version of the Guide can be downloaded for free online.
The paper version is available for purchase from the EDQM Store.
Guide to the quality and safety of tissues and cells for human applications - 5th Edition (2022)
The Guide to the quality and safety of tissues and cells for human application (the “Tissues and Cells Guide”) provides readers with a comprehensive overview of the most recent advances in the field, as well as technical guidance to ensure the quality and safety of human tissues and cells for human application. It is intended for professionals involved in identifying potential donors; transplant co-ordinators managing the process of donation after death; bone marrow and cord blood collection centres; fertility clinics; tissue establishments processing and storing tissues and cells; testing laboratories; organisations responsible for human application; inspectors auditing the establishments; and health authorities responsible for tissues and cells for human application.
The 5th Edition of the Tissues and Cells Guide provides fully revised information and guidance – aligned with current scientific knowledge, expert opinion and the results of many international projects – to optimise quality and minimise risks associated with the use of human tissues and cells. It provides professionals with the guidance necessary to improve the rate of successful clinical applications of tissues and cells. The ethical principles and guidelines relevant in the context of tissue and cell donation and related human applications are also addressed.
Learn more by downloading the Tissues and Cells Guide information leaflet (PDF).
The electronic version of the guide can be downloaded for free online.
The paper version is available for purchase from the EDQM WebStore.
Transplantation events training resources
Over the years, the EDQM has organised several webinars on a variety of topics relevant to organ, tissue and cell donation and transplantation. They provide the best available scientific data to support professionals worldwide, increase the safety of donated tissues and minimise risks for staff working in donation centres and tissue establishments.
Booklets
Carefully prepared by the European Committee on Organ Transplantation, these booklets are aimed at helping families, donors and parents, and provide independent and scientifically grounded information. These titles are available in English and French.
“Corneal transplants − All you need to know”
“Tissue donation – Everything you need to know”
“Donation of oocytes, a guide for women to support informed decisions”
“Exercise your way to better post-transplant health”
“Umbilical cord blood banking”
“‘Add-ons’ – A guide for those seeking fertility care” (forthcoming)