LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ)- Judy Dube was greeted by a sign at the Kentucky Blood Center, Tuesday morning letting her know if she’d traveled to a specific area of Florida in the past 28-days, she’d need to hold off on donating blood.
That sign will greet everyone looking to donate blood after the government’s alert to blood center’s across the country regarding the Zika virus. It comes at a bad time for the Kentucky Blood Center. August, a historically slow month for donors, was preceded by a July blood count 700 units lower than this time last year.
“Depending on the extent of the spread of the virus in Florida will determine how it really affects us,” says Dr. Dennis Williams, the Kentucky Blood Center’s medical director. “As it spreads and more areas occur in Florida and others states, we may have more of an issue.”
For Dube, it’s a concern.
“Well, to me it’s concerning that it is a homegrown issue. It’s not from people coming back into the United States from South America, so that’s pretty concerning,” she says. “You know, there’s always a need for blood donations, especially when there are acts of terrorism and now having the Zika issue just creates a whole other level of concern in my opinion.”
To learn more about blood donation, click here.