Red Cross Issues Urgent Appeal for Blood Donors
Alarmed by a critically low supply of Type O blood and none available for wounded U.S. troops if war breaks out in the Persian Gulf, the American Red Cross of Los Angeles and Orange counties Monday issued an urgent appeal for blood donors.
Although supplies of all other types of blood also are very low, the agency is able to supply local hospitals, said Joan Mueller, a Red Cross spokeswoman. “But should it be needed . . . for Operation Desert Shield, we would not be able to meet that demand.”
Type O blood is the most common type, and consequently the most in demand, said Dr. Steven Kleinman, the agency’s regional medical director.
Mueller noted that a traditional decrease in blood donations around the Christmas holidays has been complicated by the military’s demand for blood for Operation Desert Shield.
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