NA woman donating blood. According to WHO, nearly one in four blood bank
supplies in sub-Saharan Africa contain the parasites that cause
malaria. FILE PHOTO | NATION
Some areas of sub-Saharan Africa are reporting that nearly one
in four blood bank supplies contain the parasites that cause malaria.
For
a region that accounts for 90 per cent of all malaria cases in the
world — according to the World Health Organisation — its blood banks,
like all other sources of disease transmission, need to be addressed.
According to a study titled A systematic Review and Meta-analysis of the Risk of Transfusion-transmitted Malaria from Blood Donors in Sub-Saharan Africa conducted
by WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance Network, since half of the
children receiving blood transfusions to address malaria-induced
anaemia, the failure to keep these banks safe puts children and their
parents at risk.
The achievements
“Malaria
is one of the primary infections that can be transmitted through a
blood transfusion in sub-Saharan Africa,” said Dr Selali Fiamanya, the
study leader.
“Our research is only the first line of
inquiry to address this risk. Pregnant women and children receive the
majority of transfusions. Now, the technical challenge of diagnosing and
removing the malaria parasite from the blood banks requires further
analysis,” she added.
The study gathered results from 24 studies to assess malaria
prevalence among 22,508 blood donors. Prevalence of malaria parasites
was 23.46 per cent ranging from 6.5 per cent to 74.1 per cent, including
more than 10 studies from Nigeria.
Today, more than
half the world’s countries have eliminated the plasmodium and at least
10 others are on track to eliminate malaria by 2020.
The WHO says Algeria, Botswana, Cape Verde, Comoros, South Africa, Swaziland have the potential to eliminate it by 2020.
Botswana,
Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe have
partnered as the Elimination 8, to wipe out the disease by 2030.
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