The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) said that the organization is strengthening its blood donation campaign in line with the increasing number of dengue cases in the country.
The PRC announced that as of July 13, it has already dispensed 2,267 blood units to 774 dengue patients.
The Department of Health recorded over 60,000 dengue cases from Jan.1 to June 25, 2022, which is 90 percent higher compared to over 30,000 cases during the same period in 2021.
Despite the increased demand for blood transfusions, PRC assured the public that it has a sufficient blood supply by continuously accepting walk-in blood donors to its 102 facilities nationwide.
“Sa dumadaming kaso ng dengue sa ating bansa, tinitiyak natin na laging sapat ang suplay ng dugo sa Red Cross para sa mga kababayan natin na nangangailangan nito (With the rising number of dengue cases in our country, we are making sure that Red Cross' blood supply is enough for those who will need it),” PRC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Richard Gordon said.
Aside from blood donation facilities, PRC is establishing strategic partnerships with public and private companies to conduct Mobile Blood Donation which will make blood donation more accessible to communities across the country.
Gordon encouraged healthy individuals to donate blood regularly to help save the lives of dengue patients.