Publication:

The role of social media in promoting voluntary blood donation during disasters: a short communication of the Lagos State bus-train collision

Lagos State experienced a mass casualty involving a bus and a moving train on 09 March 2023. Despite only 0.58% of Lagos’s population donating blood, the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Services (LSBTS) leveraged Twitter, community outreach and blood collection centre expansion, to mobilize voluntary blood donors and meet the sudden increased demand. This short communication describes the role of social media, in driving community engagement during disasters, while assessing changes in blood donation patterns and evaluating donor awareness. Within one hour of the disaster, the LSBTS official Twitter handle, posted information about the critical need for blood including, locations of designated donation centres. Number of likes, retweets and views of the post was monitored daily over five days. Information on first-time donors, donor deferrals and donation campaign awareness were captured from the donor registration form. The LSBTS records were assessed for changes in pre and post disaster donation patterns. Over five days, Twitter engagements reached a historic milestone of 3966 retweets, 1953 likes and 296,446 views, driving 70.4% of donor awareness. Compared to an average of 48 individuals recruited per donation drive, 372 voluntary donors were recruited on day 1, an increase of 87.1%. Additionally, 849 donors were recruited during the disaster response, comparable to eight weeks of routine collection. A deferral rate of 32. 7% was noted with 65% being first time donors. Effective public communication remains crucial for donor recruitment and overall operational efficiency in regions aiming to improve disaster-response readiness in blood transfusion.