Blood bank begs New Yorkers for donations after losing 3,000 units due to storm 

New York Blood Center was forced to close all of its drives today due to Winter Storm Juno, which is 'an anomaly,' one NYBC executive said. Donating takes one hour and can save multiple lives.

BY MEREDITH ENGEL  

 

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

 

Tuesday, January 27, 2015, 4:55 PM

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GETTY/GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTOBlood drives were shut down on Tuesday, but will be up and running again for the rest of the week.

New York Blood Center won't be receiving an estimated 3,000 scheduled donations due to Winter Storm Juno.

It's the largest single loss since Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

Volunteers presiding over individual drives began canceling blood drives for Monday through Thursday yesterday before the storm hit. Later, NYBC decided to officially cancel any remaining drives and events for Tuesday.

"There are zero blood drives today, and our donors centers are closed — which is an anomaly," said Andrea Cefarelli, executive director of Donor Recruitment at NYBC, said in a statement.

The organization is urging people to take a one-hour break from their work or snow days to donate. Many blood drives will be open Wednesday through the rest of the week. Find a drive near you here.

"Now is the time to make a difference," Cefarelli added.

Almost 2,000 donations are needed each day in New York and New Jersey, particularly from those with O-negative blood, who are deemed "universal donors." One in every seven hospital admissions requires a blood transfusion. Supplies must be regularly replaced because blood donations aren't viable for long.

Rob Purvis, NYBC vice president of Customer Service, said that the organization's hospital partners have enough blood to make it through Monday and Tuesday.

One donation can save multiple lives.

Measles continues to spread in California, now is in Illinois 

A Chicago case of the virus has been confirmed, and 30 babies in California are in isolation after possible exposure. Fifty cases across California are being linked to Disneyland.

BY MEREDITH ENGEL  

 

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

 

Tuesday, January 27, 2015, 3:01 PM

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First measles case of the year in Illinois

WGN - Chicago

The measles outbreak continues to spread in California, as 30 babies in Alameda County have been placed in home isolation after a possible exposure last month linked to Disneyland.

Two new cases have also been reported in Santa Clara County, and two in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The infection has also been confirmed in Chicago, just one of 10 reported in Illinois over the last five years.

The Los Angeles Times reported Monday that there were 87 confirmed measles cases across seven states and Mexico. The California Health Department reported that of 73 total California cases, 50 are linked to Disneyland, where an outbreak began in mid-December.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's most recent numbers — through Jan. 23 — account for 68 cases across 11 states.

The 30 babies in isolation are not infected, according to Alameda County Public Health Department spokeswoman Sherri Willis, but had contact with or a connection to the area's five measles patients. Four of those five cases are linked to Disneyland.

"It is our job to try to determine who has been exposed," Willis told the Los Angeles Times.

JUSTIN SULLIVAN/GETTY IMAGESInfants are especially susceptible to measles because they can’t get vaccinated until they are a year old.

Babies are extra-susceptible to measles because they cannot be vaccinated against it until they are at least 12 months old.

Measles, though highly contagious, was eradicated from the U.S. in 2000 and is preventable via vaccination. It causes fever, cough, runny nose, pink eye and a body rash.

However, the disease is still prevalent in places like Western Europe, Pakistan, Vietnam and Philippines. It's possible that the Disneyland outbreak began when an infected traveler visited the park.

In 2014, there were 644 measles cases reported across 27 states — the most since measles was eliminated.