USA – Hospitals across the US could see their intravenous (IV) fluid supplies dwindle after a plant involved in producing IV solutions for one of the country’s largest manufacturers was flooded as a result of Hurricane Helene. The health care and medical tech company, Baxter International, based in North Carolina, produces 1.5 million bags of IV solution a day, according to the American Hospital Association. The company was forced to stop production after Helene caused flooding on its site. The death toll from Hurricane Helene – which was later downgraded to a tropical storm – has now reached 217 across six states in the US’s south-east.

In a statement released on Friday, Baxter International said: “We continue to work around-the-clock to assess the full extent of the impact and minimize potential supply disruptions to help ensure patients and providers have the products they need.” In Boston, Massachusetts, one hospital has already been dealing with the affects of the supply disruption, after being notified that it would receive only 40% of its usual supply from Baxter International. Mass General Brigham hospital has responded by preserving its supply and giving some patients Gatorade or plain water instead of IVs, NBC news reported. The hospital said it hoped to avoid disruption to patient care and was making contingency plans.

IV fluids are used to deliver medications, fluids or nutrients directly into a person’s vein. The IV fluid disruption comes as more than 800,000 people are still without power. The majority of these people are in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, but some in Florida and Virginia are also affected. Among the other residual affects of the storm are potential hindrances to early voting. A judge in South Carolina ruled on Friday that voters will have an additional ten days to register to vote in the election after flooding and power outages from the storm decimated parts of the state. Earlier in the week, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warned that if another storm struck the US in the coming months, Fema would struggle to provide assistance. “We are expecting another hurricane hitting…. Fema does not have the funds to make it through the season,” Mayorkas told reporters earlier in the week. The US government has shipped more than 8.8 million meals, more than 7.4 million liters of water, 150 generators and more than 225,000 tarps to the region, Mayorkas said. (BBC)…[+]