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Lancet Planetary Health: Climate Threat to Blood Supply

18 April 20251 min read
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGYLancet PlanetaryHealth: ClimateThreat to BloodSupply18 April 2025safalsetu.com

Why in the news

A paper in The Lancet Planetary Health warns that a warming climate endangers blood supply for patients who rely on it.

Key findings

  • Floods, bushfires and storms disturb collection, testing, transport and storage; damaged infrastructure keeps donors and staff from reaching centres.
  • Blood has a short shelf life and needs an unbroken cold chain; delays cause wastage.
  • Spread of vector-borne and infectious diseases can shrink donor numbers and calls for stricter screening.

Way forward

  • Blood banks: resilient infrastructure, decentralised collection, climate-ready logistics.
  • Policymakers: add climate risk assessment to blood services and disaster plans; otherwise emergency care and surgeries could suffer.

Exam angle

  • Journal: The Lancet Planetary Health; theme: climate and blood transfusion systems.

Test yourself

1. The Lancet Planetary Health study discussed climate impact on which healthcare area?

It found climate events disrupt the blood donation and transfusion ecosystem.

2. Why are blood products especially vulnerable to weather disruptions, according to the Lancet Planetary Health study?

Short shelf life and temperature sensitivity mean delays cause spoilage.

3. Which of these was NOT listed as an extreme event disrupting blood supply in the study?

The study named floods, bushfires and storms; earthquakes were not mentioned.

This topic is part of Daily Current Affairs 18 April 2025 (25 topics).

All topics of the dayDay quizApril 2025

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