Dengue surge sparks critical blood shortage

Last week’s monsoon disaster and ongoing Dashain holidays have cut blood donations to 100 pints a day, while the demand is for around 400 pints.

Ram Prasad Koirala, a resident of Nalagaun in Belkotgadhi Municipality, Nuwakot, spent all of Thursday racing around Kathmandu and Bhaktapur, desperately searching for platelets for his 13-year-old son, who has been infected with dengue.