Red Cross wants your blood for dengue patients

The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) on Thursday appealed for more blood donations to cover unprecedented requirements due to the unusually high incidence of dengue, particularly in Bulacan and Cavite.

“We urge the public to give blood to the PRC or to hospitals. It’s literally a matter of life and death for dengue patients to get enough supply to replace what is used as the disease runs its course,” PRC chair Richard Gordon said in a statement.

Gordon said donors may proceed to any of the PRC’s network of 27 blood centers and 82 blood banks nationwide. The Red Cross supplies 52 percent of the country’s blood needs, he added.

On Wednesday, Bulacan Gov. Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado placed his province under a state of calamity after 11 people died from dengue. The declaration gave Bulacan access to a P39-million calamity fund to fight dengue.

From Jan. 1 to Sept. 5, the Department of Health recorded 78,808 suspected dengue cases nationwide. The figure was 16.5 percent higher than last year’s 67,637 reported cases.

Last week, the province of Cavite declared a state of emergency after the number of dengue cases in its 17 municipalities surged 200 percent over last year’s 1,120 cases recorded from January to September.

The PRC dispatched to Cavite two Rubb Halls—100-bed hospital tents—that come equipped with blood supplies and medical equipment to treat dengue, Gordon said.

One of the tents has been set up on the grounds of the General Emilio Aguinaldo Hospital in Trece Martires City, one of the four cities with the highest number of dengue cases.

“The provincial hospital asked us to augment its work force as it is currently overwhelmed and understaffed in handling dengue cases, so we sent our staff and volunteers to help out,” said Gordon.

Gordon also sought more volunteers for the Red Cross effort to help the Cavite and Bulacan local governments.

“We must help the antidengue effort via volunteerism, cash and blood donations. Vital too, is support for the public health campaign to prevent more dengue outbreaks in other parts of the country,” he said.–With a report from Jodee A. Agoncillo