Britain's hospitals are facing an unprecedented blood shortage because of a cyber attack, health authorities said today , quoted by Reuters, writes BTA.
Major London hospitals run by the National Health Service have been struggling with the problem since June 3, when a ransomware attack was carried out against the company "Synovis" - testing service provider.
The attack also means thousands of reserved blood donation hours will not be honored.
The period of high demand, combined with the added challenge of finding blood donors in the summer when people are on vacation and warm weather can dehydrate them, made for the worst possible combination of circumstances, the service said.
Blood supplies have fallen to "unprecedented lows", the report added.
"We urgently need more type zero blood donors to help increase the supply so we can treat patients," said the department's chief executive of blood stocks and transplants, Joe Farrar. "The need for type zero blood remains critical," he added.
According to the National Health Service, the country only has about a day and a half of blood type zero blood left, which is the universal type used in emergencies when the patient's blood type is unknown. The total national supply of all blood groups is for just over 4 days.
The National Health Service has issued a "yellow warning" for hospitals, asking them to limit the use of type zero blood to very important cases and to use substitutes when safe.
Last week, a global computer crash affected the NHS's system for registering patients and recording visits.