The Malawi Blood Transfusion Service (MBTS) has said blood-sucking rumours have affected its operations in most parts of the southern region.

MBTS Spokesperson, Allen Kaombe, told YFM online that since the emerging of blood-sucking rumours in July this year the Voluntary Blood Donation has greatly gone down.

“Blood collection in our clinics has dropped as from last year at this moment we had collected 6,500 units while in the same period this year we have just collected 4,500 units so this actually tell us that this has affected us,” he said.

Kaombe said they have suspended their operations because of unrest in the affected areas in Phalombe, Mulanje and Chiradzulu districts.

He said the more chunk of Malawi’s population is based in the rural areas and it is also where more blood is collected.

“With this matter at the moment hospitals which were supplied by MBTS should expect low supply of blood units and definitely the hospitals will have difficulties in terms of blood,”Kaombe added.

Kaombe warned that if the rumours are then entrenched, the country should bear for negative multi-faceted consequences on the gains Malawi has on voluntary blood donation since the body was established in 2003.