PLANNING FOR HOLIDAYS: Fluctuating temperatures led to more people falling ill, which affected donations, while demand has been increasing, a donation center said
Taipei Times
Date: Jan 08, 2019
By: Su Chin-feng, Liao Hsueh-ju and Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporters, with staff writer
Blood donation centers nationwide are boosting their efforts to encourage donations as
Staff from Hualien Blood Donation Station hold a blood donation activity at a kindergarten attached to Mingli Elementary School on Sunday.
Photo: Wang Chin-yi, Taipei Times
Taiwan faces a shortage in blood supplies.
The nation is short on all types of blood, but supplies are especially low for types A and O, Wu Meng-ta (吳孟達), the head of the Taichung Blood Center’s donor recruitment section, said on Saturday.
The shortage was caused by fluctuating temperatures — which led to more people falling ill and being unable to donate — a decline in the number of donors aged 17 to 20 and increased demand, he said, adding that people with sleep deprivation cannot donate blood.
Cold and rainy weather over the past few days has also discouraged donors, Wu said.
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