By Fan Anqi in Global Times, Dec 19, 2023
Due to continuous rain and snow combined with drastic temperature drops, and a peak in respiratory diseases, the number of blood donors has significantly decreased in multiple cities across China, posing a challenge for blood banks in ensuring sufficient blood supply in a number of localities.

The central blood station in Yuncheng, North China’s Shanxi Province, which accommodates more than 4.7 million people, issued an appeal on Friday calling on residents aged between 18 and 55 to actively donate blood, as the city needs at least 220 voluntary blood donations per day to meet basic clinical demand.

The appeal noted that because of the recent rainy and snowy weather, as well as the high incidence of respiratory diseases, the number of blood donations in the city has significantly dropped and many blood banks are facing emergency levels when it comes to blood supplies.

Yuncheng is not alone in facing a shortfall in blood donors. The Global Times reached the central blood stations in Wuxi, East China’s Jiangsu Province, as well as Ningbo in East China’s Zhejiang Province, on Monday and both confirmed that local blood banks are experiencing a shortage of inventory.

The Wuxi blood station told the Global Times that due to the current shortage, hospitals are implementing blood control measures to ensure proper distribution.

The central blood station in Weifang, a city in East China’s Shandong Province, is also under pressure. It too has appealed to the public, saying that it needs a minimum of 400 blood donations per day to meet clinical demand, including for patients suffering from traumatic bleeding, postpartum hemorrhages, burns, surgical procedures and other situations.

Winter is the peak season for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, which leads to a surge in clinical demand for blood. Another populous city in China, Xinxiang in Central China’s Henan Province, called for urgent support after the city’s blood inventory fell below a designated warning line, which local officials said severely impacts the ability to provide proper medical treatment to clinical patients and poses a threat to public health.

Based on media reports, at least six other localities across China have issued similar notices to call attention to the issue.

To cope with the situation, various localities have come up with a number of promotional activities to attract voluntary donors……….
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202312/1303839.shtml