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Tackling winter blood shortage with free scarves, hats, gloves
By Xu Wenwen |
November 25, 2009, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
Hangzhou is running short of donated blood this winter and the Zhejiang provincial blood bank is encouraging donors by giving gifts, including scarves, gloves, blankets, cushions and plush slippers.
Blood collection spots have been set up in the main blocks of Hangzhou so healthy and kind-hearted folks can donate.
Compared with supplies in spring and summer, winter supplies always run low because many people don't want to roll up their sleeves.
Anxiety over H1N1 flu prevents many people from donating this year. Further, many donors who are non-locals have left Hangzhou and returned to their hometowns in the economic downturn.
A blood collection bus in front of Wu-mart Supermarket only gets a dozen donors on average this month, compared with around 30 for the same period in previous years.
"Outdoor blood collection accounts for 80 percent of the blood used, however, this winter the blood collection buses can only get two-thirds or even less of the blood needed by hospitals," says Lu Hangjun, director of Zhejiang Blood Center.
He told a local newspaper that winter chill, H1N1 flu and the economy were the main reasons for the shortage.
"We used to drive to colleges and universities where students queued up to donate, and their donations filled a gap," says a doctor surnamed Jin in the Wu-mart Supermarket blood collection bus. "But considering the influence of swine flu, we decreased our visits."
The presence of the H1N1 flu virus causes anxieties about health.
"The flu affects people's physical constitutions, therefore, the number of donors will decrease if the epidemic worsens," says Lu.
"Most blood donors are not locals and this year many unemployed non-local workers have returned to their hometowns," Dr Jin says.
As demand for blood rises every year, the gap between supply and demand widens.
"There are many patients in winter and blood reserves need to be sufficient for emergencies," Lu says.
Blood types A and O are badly needed, according to the official Website of the Zhejiang Blood Center.
In addition to upgrading gifts-for-blood and educating more people about the necessity and safety of giving blood, experts suggest self-donation (autologous donation) of blood for scheduled surgery and donation among relatives and friends of the patients.
Autologous blood donation is considered the safest and is internationally accepted.
Check Zhejiang Blood Center's official Website (www.zjb.org.cn) for details. Conditions for donors
Good health. Get a good night's sleep, don't eat oily foods or drink alcohol before donating.
Don't forget your ID card, passport or driver's license.
Where to donate
Zhejiang Blood Center at 345 Wulin Rd (daily, 8am-5pm)
Blood Donation House at 54 Xinhua Road (Tuesdays-Saturdays, 9am-5pm)
Blood collection buses
Hangzhou Tower (daily, 10am-5pm)
Long Xiang Cloth Market (daily, 10am-5pm)
Wushan Square (Fridays-Sundays, 10am-5pm) Free screening for blood pressure, sugar HANGZHOU is helping permanent residents stay healthy by providing free screening for chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
The city recently launched a three-year health project called "Intervention and Control of Key Chronic Diseases." It is listed as one of the government's 10 concrete benefits for its people this year.
The project for permanent residents includes free screenings for blood pressure and blood sugar for men aged 35-59 and women aged 35-54.
It also establishes free health records and predicts the risk of cardiovascular disease, strokes and diabetes in 10 years.
By the time the project is completed in three years, an estimated 2 million urban residents will have benefited.
Noninfectious chronic diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes have become serious public health issues in recent years. The Hangzhou Disease Control Center reports the morbidity rate of high blood pressure among people over 35 years old is 40.25 percent and the rate for diabetes is 13.44 percent. The prevalence of the conditions are increasing and patients are getting younger.
Public health professionals will follow up for high-risk groups. Community doctors will advise on medication, diet, exercise and psychological health such as stress management.
Blood collection spots have been set up in the main blocks of Hangzhou so healthy and kind-hearted folks can donate.
Compared with supplies in spring and summer, winter supplies always run low because many people don't want to roll up their sleeves.
Anxiety over H1N1 flu prevents many people from donating this year. Further, many donors who are non-locals have left Hangzhou and returned to their hometowns in the economic downturn.
A blood collection bus in front of Wu-mart Supermarket only gets a dozen donors on average this month, compared with around 30 for the same period in previous years.
"Outdoor blood collection accounts for 80 percent of the blood used, however, this winter the blood collection buses can only get two-thirds or even less of the blood needed by hospitals," says Lu Hangjun, director of Zhejiang Blood Center.
He told a local newspaper that winter chill, H1N1 flu and the economy were the main reasons for the shortage.
"We used to drive to colleges and universities where students queued up to donate, and their donations filled a gap," says a doctor surnamed Jin in the Wu-mart Supermarket blood collection bus. "But considering the influence of swine flu, we decreased our visits."
The presence of the H1N1 flu virus causes anxieties about health.
"The flu affects people's physical constitutions, therefore, the number of donors will decrease if the epidemic worsens," says Lu.
"Most blood donors are not locals and this year many unemployed non-local workers have returned to their hometowns," Dr Jin says.
As demand for blood rises every year, the gap between supply and demand widens.
"There are many patients in winter and blood reserves need to be sufficient for emergencies," Lu says.
Blood types A and O are badly needed, according to the official Website of the Zhejiang Blood Center.
In addition to upgrading gifts-for-blood and educating more people about the necessity and safety of giving blood, experts suggest self-donation (autologous donation) of blood for scheduled surgery and donation among relatives and friends of the patients.
Autologous blood donation is considered the safest and is internationally accepted.
Check Zhejiang Blood Center's official Website (www.zjb.org.cn) for details. Conditions for donors
Good health. Get a good night's sleep, don't eat oily foods or drink alcohol before donating.
Don't forget your ID card, passport or driver's license.
Where to donate
Zhejiang Blood Center at 345 Wulin Rd (daily, 8am-5pm)
Blood Donation House at 54 Xinhua Road (Tuesdays-Saturdays, 9am-5pm)
Blood collection buses
Hangzhou Tower (daily, 10am-5pm)
Long Xiang Cloth Market (daily, 10am-5pm)
Wushan Square (Fridays-Sundays, 10am-5pm) Free screening for blood pressure, sugar HANGZHOU is helping permanent residents stay healthy by providing free screening for chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
The city recently launched a three-year health project called "Intervention and Control of Key Chronic Diseases." It is listed as one of the government's 10 concrete benefits for its people this year.
The project for permanent residents includes free screenings for blood pressure and blood sugar for men aged 35-59 and women aged 35-54.
It also establishes free health records and predicts the risk of cardiovascular disease, strokes and diabetes in 10 years.
By the time the project is completed in three years, an estimated 2 million urban residents will have benefited.
Noninfectious chronic diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes have become serious public health issues in recent years. The Hangzhou Disease Control Center reports the morbidity rate of high blood pressure among people over 35 years old is 40.25 percent and the rate for diabetes is 13.44 percent. The prevalence of the conditions are increasing and patients are getting younger.
Public health professionals will follow up for high-risk groups. Community doctors will advise on medication, diet, exercise and psychological health such as stress management.
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