Blood supplies available to hospital blood banks have increased recently, Maria Adamou, head of hospital blood banks across Cyprus, told CNA on Thursday. She also ruled out the possibility of a cyberattack on Cyprus’ blood banks following the recent attack of this kind in France.
Adamou said the Blood Centre had increased the supplies available to blood banks, with the result that “our ability to respond to the needs of all cases has improved significantly”.
Needs nevertheless remain high, she said, stressing the importance of the approval of Cyprus’ national blood strategy. The strategy, she noted, lays the foundations for modernising and upgrading the blood donation system and the management of blood services.
Its implementation is expected, she said, to help ensure the adequacy and safety of blood supplies, promote the rational use of blood, and improve the planning, management and allocation of available stocks.
“Blood is a valuable but limited resource,” she said, adding that its rational use would make a decisive contribution to ensuring adequate supplies.
No risk of cyberattack
Asked by CNA whether there was a possibility of a cyberattack on Cyprus’ blood banks following the recent attack in France, Adamou said no. She explained that the refrigerators and freezers used to store blood and blood products, both at the Blood Centre and at blood banks, run on electricity and have a built-in system for controlling and regulating temperature.
The units also have an independent external sensor system connected to the internet, which continuously records and transmits temperature data around the clock, she said.
She clarified that the system is used exclusively to monitor and record temperature and is not connected to the refrigeration equipment’s electronic controller. As a result, it is not possible to interfere with the processing or adjustment of the temperature or the equipment’s operation.
Source: CNA
