With influenza spreading across the country and preventing some donors from giving and winter weather threatening to cancel blood drives, the American Red Cross now has a critical shortage of type O blood. Red Cross spokesman Todd Kulman is calling for donors to help, and explains why having an adequate blood supply is important.
“Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs a blood transfusion,” said Kulman. “It’s not something that you can make in a laboratory or create a synthetic version. You never know who might need a blood transfusion. It could be a family member, a neighbor down the street, or it could be you.”
Currently, the Red Cross has less than a three-day supply of type O blood available for patient emergencies and medical treatments. For more information on where you can give blood, visit visit redcrossblood.org.
