United States: A new expert’s report reveals that climatic changes and increasing weather severity strain blood supply systems worldwide, which puts people with life-threatening injuries and conditions at risk.
Medical professionals face interruptions while carrying out blood collection together with testing and sample storage and movement due to extreme weather events and natural disasters, which result from global temperature increases, as noted in The Lancet Planetary Health study this week.
More about the news
The combination of these incidents creates barriers for donors traveling to donate blood and decreases the speed of handling blood products, particularly because they have brief survival timelines and fragile responses to temperature changes, Bloomberg. Com reported.
Climate change threatens global blood supply:
— WION (@WIONews) April 17, 2025
A new study reveals that extreme weather conditions can significantly slow down blood donations and disrupt the transport of blood supplies@SaroyaHem brings you this report pic.twitter.com/OmrbyKDsSz
Tropical Cyclone Alfred displayed the destructive force of these weather events by destroying many areas and causing major flooding across Queensland and New South Wales in Australia throughout last month.
What are the experts stating?
The research team from the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood and the University of the Sunshine Coast reported how the canceled 3500 blood donation appointments deteriorated national blood supply quantities.
According to Elvina Viennet, Lifeblood researcher and co-author of the study, “For the first time here in Australia, we saw a weather event have an unprecedented impact on donations,” bloomberg.com reported.
This research is important because blood and blood product supplies are critical for medical treatments — plus they save lives in emergency situations,” Viennet noted.
Climate change poses a threat to global blood supply, impacting donor health, logistics, and increasing demand. Adaptable strategies and innovations are crucial to ensure continuous availability. @TheLancet https://t.co/Jp0TmDsLpz
— Medical Xpress (@medical_xpress) April 17, 2025
Worldwide, the first research examines climate change impacts on entire blood supply chain stages through analyses from international studies.
An increase in bloodborne diseases like dengue fever, West Nile virus, and malaria will move into previously unaffected areas because the temperature suitable for their spreading vectors will expand, as bloomberg.com reported.
Blood banks face increased transmission risks of diseases because certain diseases may stop donors from giving blood, which presents new challenges to the blood supply system.