My dad is in the hospital right now because he has Dengue. He got it when he was bitten by mosquitoes. Dengue is a sickness in the tropics caused by mosquitoes. It can bring sudden fever and loss of platelets. It has many other symptoms. My dad had blood transfused into him because his platelet count is going down. His last count was 9,000/μl which is way below the normal range, 150,000/μl. The problem is that it is so hard to find the platelet units that he needs. My aunts have contacted almost all of the blood centers and big hospitals but only got 3 packs when the doctor asked for 4. The next day, they needed 7 bags and we were lucky to access all 7.
Platelets are tiny red blood cells that form clots to stop bleeding, so these little cells are the ones that help you recover from nose bleeds, wounds and other physical pains that can cause bleeding. To help recover platelets during dengue we get blood to replace the platelets. We get blood from blood banks and the blood banks like Red Cross get their blood from donors. Here in the Philippines, it is hard to get blood because there are not much blood donors. That is why it is SO important to donate blood because if someone suffers from a sickness like dengue, the patient will need blood. When I grow up I will repay the world for giving my dad blood by being a donor to Red Cross and I will donate at least once per month.
