Over the past several weeks, we’ve watched with foreboding as massive winter storms swept across the country. From Victoria to St. John’s, roads have been closed, ferry services have been cancelled and airline flights grounded.
Alarmingly, one of the more troubling effects of these disruptions has been a serious drop-off in blood donations.
The winter season is always a difficult period for Canadian Blood Services, which collects and distributes blood donations. Colds, flu and other respiratory disorders put pressure on both donors and CBS staff.
But this winter is proving the worst in recent memory. Since October, the national blood inventory has fallen by 35 per cent, with 31,000 fewer donors coming forward over that period.
In the past two weeks alone, extreme weather conditions have prevented hundreds of units of blood being collected.
One consequence is that country-wide, 1,000 patients face a delay in receiving a potentially life-saving stem cell transplant. Organ transplants are also held up.
Adding to the challenge, Canada is already unable to meet domestic demand for plasma. This straw-coloured liquid, distilled from whole blood, is needed to treat autoimmune disorders like Guillain–Barré syndrome, which attacks the body’s muscle system.
This shortfall is not confined to Canada. There is a worldwide shortage of these products, with little evidence that synthetic alternatives will reach production any time soon.
Indeed, we are so far from meeting demand for plasma that CBS has decided, reluctantly, to begin paying donors. That this runs against everything we stand for shows how serious the situation has become.
Canada has a well-established network of hospitals and labs that work together to make sure the right blood product is available when and where it is needed. But it all depends on the individuals who actually go out and donate blood.
And this is the heart of the matter.
The difficulty doesn’t lie in opposition to giving blood. A recent opinion poll showed that six in 10 eligible donors agree that donating blood or plasma over the holiday period is important.
The problem rather lies in getting them to follow through. Only one in 10 actually did so. And of those who made appointments, quite a few failed to come in, no doubt in part due to the treacherous road conditions.
As a result, right now the donor base is at its lowest in a decade.
So what can be done?
Canadian Blood Services is asking everyone who can help out to visit their local donor centre and make a blood or plasma donation.
Throughout January, there are 6,200 openings at centres across the province. Of these, 1,291 are available of the Victoria Donor Centre, at 3449 Saanich Rd. across from the Uptown Mall.
Readers who want to book an appointment can do so online — Google “Canadian Blood Services” — or by calling 1-888-236-6283. Appointments are needed to donate.
In particular, donors with O-negative blood are in great demand, since this type of blood can be transfused into any patient. That can make the difference in time-challenged situations, such as rescuing highly premature newborns.
Since only one in 15 Canadians have this type, anyone who contributes is almost certainly saving a life.
At the best of times we’re not very good at keeping New Year resolutions. But at this critical moment for our nation’s blood supply, here is one we should. Give blood.
