Latest news with #ElvinaViennet
Euronews
19-04-2025
- Health
- Euronews
Bleeding the planet dry? Climate change could unlock new threat to the world's blood supply
ADVERTISEMENT Climate change might impact the supply and demand chain when it comes to blood transfusions, a new study has found. Researchers from Red Cross Lifeblood and the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) in Australia believe that blood-borne diseases as well as natural disasters are likely to disturb current patterns. "As well as limiting the mobility of large numbers of people, these events disrupt the storage, safety, and transportation of blood which has a short shelf life," Dr Elvina Viennet, one of the researchers behind the study, said in a statement. Related As US faces rare EEE cases, which mosquito-borne diseases are rising in Europe? Every year, 25 million blood units are transfused in Europe. They are needed for treatments of patients undergoing surgery, premature babies, victims of accidents, and patients living with chronic conditions. 'Climate change may impact some infectious diseases that can be transmitted via blood and can prevent people from donating,' Viennet added, mentioning the potential intensification of mosquito-borne diseases such as Dengue Fever, West Nile Virus, and Malaria due to increased rainfall and warmer temperatures. Warming temperatures are making cases of these diseases more common in Europe , most notably dengue. Impact of extreme weather Other conditions linked to climate change, such as "extreme weather, including high temperatures, cold exposure, and other climate fluctuations," could also narrow the pool of potential blood donors, according to the study published in The Lancet Planetary Health on Thursday. These climatic changes can impact haemoglobin concentration, red blood cell counts, and blood pressure. "We could see new diseases emerge, and other health issues such as blood pressure and hydration, exacerbated by heat, as well as psychological distress and 'climate anxiety' impact donors," said Helen Faddy, an associate professor at UniSC and the study's lead author. Related Death toll in Europe from extreme temperatures will surge by end of century, warn climate scientists "At the same time, shifts in disease prevalence and natural disaster frequency could increase the demand for blood transfusions due to conditions such as pregnancy complications, cardiovascular disease, and sickle cell disease," she added. In the study, researchers suggested potential mitigation strategies such as flexible and mobile blood centres, cell salvage - a form of autotransfusion - and international collaboration. "With rising sea levels increasing migration rates, it's essential to have more blood donors from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, and to increase the number of people who give blood," Faddy said.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Bleeding the planet dry? Climate change could unlock new threat to the world's blood supply
Climate change might impact the supply and demand chain when it comes to blood transfusions, a new study has found. Researchers from Red Cross Lifeblood and the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) in Australia believe that blood-borne diseases as well as natural disasters are likely to disturb current patterns. "As well as limiting the mobility of large numbers of people, these events disrupt the storage, safety, and transportation of blood which has a short shelf life," Dr Elvina Viennet, one of the researchers behind the study, said in a statement. Related As US faces rare EEE cases, which mosquito-borne diseases are rising in Europe? Every year, 25 million blood units are transfused in Europe. They are needed for treatments of patients undergoing surgery, premature babies, victims of accidents, and patients living with chronic conditions. 'Climate change may impact some infectious diseases that can be transmitted via blood and can prevent people from donating,' Viennet added, mentioning the potential intensification of mosquito-borne diseases such as Dengue Fever, West Nile Virus, and Malaria due to increased rainfall and warmer temperatures. Warming temperatures are making cases of these diseases more common in Europe, most notably dengue. Other conditions linked to climate change, such as "extreme weather, including high temperatures, cold exposure, and other climate fluctuations," could also narrow the pool of potential blood donors, according to the study published in The Lancet Planetary Health on Thursday. These climatic changes can impact haemoglobin concentration, red blood cell counts, and blood pressure. "We could see new diseases emerge, and other health issues such as blood pressure and hydration, exacerbated by heat, as well as psychological distress and 'climate anxiety' impact donors," said Helen Faddy, an associate professor at UniSC and the study's lead author. Related Death toll in Europe from extreme temperatures will surge by end of century, warn climate scientists "At the same time, shifts in disease prevalence and natural disaster frequency could increase the demand for blood transfusions due to conditions such as pregnancy complications, cardiovascular disease, and sickle cell disease," she added. In the study, researchers suggested potential mitigation strategies such as flexible and mobile blood centres, cell salvage - a form of autotransfusion - and international collaboration. "With rising sea levels increasing migration rates, it's essential to have more blood donors from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, and to increase the number of people who give blood," Faddy said.
New York Times
16-04-2025
- Health
- New York Times
Climate Change Is Stressing the World's Blood Supplies
Climate change is coming for something surprising: the world's blood supply. Warming and extreme weather can slow blood donations, disrupt blood transport and risk the safety of transfusions, according to a new study published on Wednesday in The Lancet Planetary Health. Extreme weather events as a result of climate change can increase demand while also limiting supply, leading to blood shortages when they're most needed. Avoiding this deadly mismatch of supply and demand is crucial. 'Any major disruptions to the availability and safety of the blood supply puts lives at risk,' said Elvina Viennet, an infectious disease researcher at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia and one of the lead authors of the study. It is the first global assessment of how climate change affects blood supplies. Dr. Viennet and her collaborators reviewed dozens of studies on how extreme weather events, which are increasing around the world because of climate change, affect physical and mental well-being, the spread of infectious diseases, the safety of blood transfusions and other aspects of public health. They then connected those findings to each stage of the blood supply network. Weather events such as hurricanes, flooding, heat waves, wildfires and snowstorms can physically keep people from donating. Roads may be impassable and, depending on the disaster, people may have more immediate problems of their own to handle. Mobile donation centers could be unable to deploy where they're needed. Blood donations tend to drop during extreme events, at least in the United States. As Hurricane Helene hit the Southeastern United States last year, more than 100 blood drives were canceled. As the Los Angeles fires burned, thousands of donors canceled. By late February this year, the Red Cross in the United States had almost as many donation cancellations as it did in all of 2024, in part becasue of extreme weather events. Even if donation centers have blood to deliver, blocked roads can slow down delivery or halt it entirely. Drone deliveries may be an option soon, but technological innovations will be needed, Dr. Viennet said. Disasters can also increase demand for blood by increasing rates of traumatic injuries or disrupt the care of people who rely on blood for regular treatments, such as cancer patients. Pregnant women, who can face increased risks of complications during climate disasters, are at particular risk if blood is not available and complications arise. 'It's really critical,' said Margaret Sugg, a climate and health researcher at Appalachian State University who was not involved in the study. 'Postpartum hemorrhage, preeclampsia, these are conditions that require blood transfusions.' If the blood supply chain is disrupted, she said, 'it can be deadly.' Rising temperatures are contributing to the spread of infectious diseases that are transmitted through blood, such as West Nile and Zika viruses and dengue fever. The study notes that mass migrations and travel are exposing more people to these diseases and shrinking the pool of potential donors, because people infected with these diseases cannot give blood. And widespread disease outbreaks can shutter donation centers for extended periods, as happened during the coronavirus pandemic. (Infectious diseases may indirectly increase blood demand, too, by increasing need for blood-based treatments.) With enough planning, the deadly mismatch of low blood supply with high demand can be avoided. To predict blood demand in shifting climates, robust early warning systems for disease outbreaks and severe weather events and disease outbreaks are critical, experts said. And artificial intelligence tools may be able to help with monitoring disease threats by better harnessing the growing amount of health and climate data available, said Steven Drews, a clinical microbiologist at the University of Alberta who also leads the microbiology team at the Canadian Blood Services. Variability remains one of the biggest problems for those who want to plan for blood demand. 'The challenge is in its unpredictability and how things are shifting,' said Evan Bloch, a pathologist and transfusion specialist at Johns Hopkins University who was not involved in the study. 'Climate change introduces these humanitarian crises and natural disasters that can weigh heavily on the blood supply.'
