Blood Supply Management During Infectious Disease Outbreaks
Summary
Effective management of blood supply during infectious disease outbreaks is critical to maintaining healthcare resilience. Sudden declines in donor attendance, restrictions on movement and infection control measures can precipitate acute shortages of red cells, platelets and plasma. Robust strategies hinge on proactive recruitment, dynamic inventory management and adaptable transfusion protocols that prioritise clinical urgency. Integration of haemovigilance systems ensures real-time monitoring of transfusion safety and adverse events, while pathogen inactivation technologies provide additional safeguards against emerging agents. Regulatory flexibility, including temporary amendments to donor eligibility criteria and endorsement of convalescent plasma programmes, has proved essential in sustaining supply. Cross-sector collaboration among hospitals, blood services and public health authorities underpins the rapid redeployment of resources and distribution networks. Lessons from recent outbreaks underscore the value of scenario modelling, digital donor engagement and international coordination to mitigate shortages and protect patient outcomes globally.
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Blood Supply Management During Infectious Disease Outbreaks publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in blood supply management during infectious disease outbreaks across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Haemovigilance: Systematic surveillance and analysis of adverse events and reactions related to blood transfusion to enhance safety and quality.
Inventory management: Processes for tracking, forecasting and optimising stock levels of blood components to meet fluctuating clinical demand.
Pathogen inactivation: Techniques applied to blood products to reduce the risk of transfusion-transmitted infections from emerging pathogens.
Restrictive transfusion protocol: Clinical guidelines that limit transfusion to patients meeting specific haemoglobin or haematocrit thresholds to conserve supplies.
Convalescent plasma: Plasma collected from individuals recovered from infection, containing antibodies that can be used therapeutically or prophylactically.
References
- Haemovigilance in India during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Global Health (2023).
- Views and Attitudes of Blood Donors toward Blood Donation during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Thrace Region, Greece. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2022).
- Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Blood Transfusion among Hospitalized Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease. Medicina (2024).
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