Spike in dengue cases spurs platelet demand in Indore

Amid a sharp spike in dengue cases, Indore has recorded 16 new infections on Friday, reportedly. The rising scale of vector-borne disease in the city has fueled a hike in the demand for platelet units. Besides Indore, various adjoining districts are also witnessing a scarcity of platelets. The shortage of this life-saving blood component has led to a line-up of patients at the Model Blood Bank of Maharaja Yeshwantrao Hospital (M Y Hospital).

Demand for platelet doubled in the last month

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As per the HOD of Blood Transfusion department at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, the rise in dengue cases has doubled the demand for platelets in the last month, as compared to normal days. Moreover, during the last month, more than 500 units of platelets were supplied to patients in Mhow, Ratlam and Mandasur.

Reportedly, a huge number of patients from other districts are flocking towards M Y hospital due to a dearth in the availability of platelets. According to the officials, around 20 platelet units are given to private hospitals every day while more than 40 units are being used by the patients housed at M Y Hospital.

An increased count of donations being recorded at the Blood Bank

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According to the HoD, all the units provided to private hospitals are majorly used to treat dengue patients. On the other hand, M Y hospital uses 40% of the units for dengue patients while the rest is used for other patients including those suffering from cancer. According to reports, the blood bank is conducting more than 5-10 single donor platelets apheresis every day, in an attempt to address the increased demand for platelets and manage their short durability.

As per reports, the cumulative count of dengue cases in Indore has reached a total of 550 cases, with 16 more patients clutched by the disease on Thursday. Purportedly, out of these 16 cases, 13 were men while 3 women were infected. However, no new infection was recorded in children below 15 in Indore, on this day.