Blood banks across the country, including those that supply blood to North Carolina hospitals, are seeing a decline in blood donations as a result of the widespread, severe flu outbreak, reports the The News & Observer.
The Blood Connection — a blood bank based in Piedmont, S.C., that supplies to multiple hospitals in North Carolina, including Raleigh-based UNC Rex Healthcare, Raleigh-based WakeMed Health & Hospitals and Smithfield-based Johnston UNC Health Care — issued an urgent call for all types of blood donations this week, saying the nationwide flu epidemic has cut blood supplies by more than 10 percent. The organization said it lost about two-days worth of blood supplies from cancelled blood drives.
While supplies have dwindled, officials from the blood bank said there is no shortage or emergency.
"We're activating a continuity of operations plan, which allows us to avoid a shortage," said Tracy Bridges, vice president of business development and chief technical officer of The Blood Connection, according to the report. "This is really inventory management."