Blood donation in China goes down due to cold
By IANSThursday, January 13, 2011
BEIJING - Cold weather in China has discouraged people to donate blood, as blood supplies have gone down rapidly in many provinces, officials said.
“Few are willing to donate blood in such cold weather, and many non-local people have gone home for the Spring Festival,” said Zeng Jia, an official with the provincial blood centre in southeastern Fujian province.
The number of donors in provincial capital Fuzhou has gone down by half, compared to the same period last year, Xinhua reported.
Type-O blood supplies are enough for only four days, he said.
“Yesterday, we had only four donors. The day before yesterday we had one,” Zeng said.
A similar situation has developed in other provinces and regions that have suffered cold snaps - including Yunnan, Guangxi and Xinjiang.
The Spring Festival - the first day of the Chinese lunar year - falls Feb 3 this year, about two weeks earlier than last year.
The last blood shortage in China occurred in September last year. The situation eased after the Red Cross Society of China launched an urgent appeal.
