WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Officials say a bad flu season and other factors are to blame for a drop in blood donations that has left supplies at dangerously low levels.
Nicole Hanger, of LifeServe Blood Center, says donations started to drop about four weeks ago when a big winter storm hit. Then more people came down with the flu and donations remained low.
The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports (http://bit.ly/WXEfMr ) that the blood center likes to have a three- to five-day supply, but that's now down to a one- or two-day supply.
LifeServe provides blood to hospitals in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota.
The center is calling donors and sending out emails to spur donations.
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Information from: Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, http://www.wcfcourier.com
