Blood demand rises as dengue worsens<\/p>\n
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The severe dengue fever outbreak in the capital has increased the
\ndemand for blood by 200 percent since last month, said an
\nIndonesian Red Cross (PMI) official.<\/p>\n
PMI Jakarta blood bank division head Yudi Artini said on
\nFriday that since early February, the demand for blood reached an
\naverage 300 blood pouches per day. Last month's average was 100
\npouches daily.<\/p>\n
\"Most hospitals across the city that made requests for blood
\nto PMI Jakarta said the blood would be given to dengue fever
\npatients,\" she told The Jakarta Post, adding that state-run Cipto
\nMangunkusumo General Hospital had the highest order, followed by
\na number of city-run hospitals.<\/p>\n
A dengue fever patient needs a transfusion of blood enriched
\nwith thrombocyte -- small nucleated blood cells that initiates
\nthe process of clotting -- to stem hemorrhaging from the disease.<\/p>\n
To meet the increasing demand, PMI Jakarta has been asking
\nfamilies of dengue fever patients to donate their blood to
\nreplenish the PMI's stock.<\/p>\n
\"This way, it is unlikely that we will run out of (blood)
\nsupply,\" said Yudi.<\/p>\n
She said the increasing demand was understandable, given that
\nan adult with dengue fever needed 10 pouches of blood while a
\nchild needed five.<\/p>\n
The government has officially declared the dengue fever
\noutbreak as \"extraordinary\", meaning that extra measures are
\nneeded to contain the disease.<\/p>\n
At least 195 people have died from dengue fever nationwide and
\n10,140 others have been infected as of Friday. On Thursday, the
\nfigures were 188 and 9,365, respectively.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta alone, 38 have died from the disease while 1,200
\nothers have been admitted to a number of hospitals since the
\noutbreak started, the city health agency reported.<\/p>\n
The World Health Organization said that dengue fever, which is
\ntransmitted by aedes aegypti mosquitoes, peaked in five-year
\ncycles and the current outbreak has come at the peak of this
\ncycle.<\/p>\n
The health agency recorded 14,071 cases in the city last year,
\nslightly lower than the 15,360 cases in 1998.<\/p>\n
PMI Jakarta workers called on concerned citizens to help
\ndengue fever patients by donating blood.<\/p>\n
NOTE: Prospective donors can contact PMI Jakarta at (021) 327
\n711\/390 6666\/390 9259 for further information.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/blood-demand-rises-as-dengue-worsens-1447893297",
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