Non-remunerated Blood Donors Research Articles

Genotype Distribution and Demographic Characteristics of Hepatitis C Virus Nucleic Acid Testing Yield Cases Among US Blood Donors.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection rates among US blood donors have been well characterized; however, few studies evaluated HCV genotypes among blood donors. Monitoring trends in disease and demographic patterns contributes to understanding the safety of the blood supply. We examined the demographic characteristics and distribution of HCV genotypes/subgenotypes for nearly a 16-year period among blood donors confirmed positive for HCV RNA but antibody negative (defined as nucleic acid testing [NAT] yield). A retrospective assessment of demographic characteristics and testing data was used to determine temporal trends and geographical distribution of HCV genotypes/subgenotypes among American Red Cross blood donors confirmed positive as HCV-NAT yield. From 2003-2018, 343 donors (0.38/100 000 donations; 95% CI, .35-.43) were confirmed positive as HCV-NAT-yield cases. Temporal analysis revealed a significant increase in HCV-NAT-yield cases of 54.1% between 2009 and 2014 (P = .014), followed by a significant decline of 31.4% between 2015 and 2018 (P = .002). Significantly more HCV-NAT-yield cases were detected among first-time donors, non-Hispanic Whites, donors aged 20-29 years, equally likely to be males as females, with the highest frequency in the South (0.52/100 000 donations). Subgenotype 1a (49.6%) was most frequent, followed by 3a (18.7%), 2b (12.5%), 1b (8.5%), and 2a (1.7%). Voluntary nonremunerated blood donors are at low risk for HCV infection. Since 2015, the frequency of HCV-NAT-yield cases decreased despite an increase in acute HCV infection in the general population. HCV subgenotypes 1a and 3a continue to remain predominant among US blood donors with recent HCV infection.

The clinical demand and supply of blood in India: A National level estimation study

Estimating the clinical demand for blood and components arising in a health facility is crucial to ensure timely availability of blood. This study aims to estimate disease-specific clinical demand, supply and utilization of whole blood and components in India. We conducted a national level cross-sectional study in five randomly selected states from five regions of the country. We included 251 public and private facilities representing primary, secondary and tertiary care facilities. We collected annual disease-specific demand, supply and utilization of blood and components using a structured tool. We estimated the national demand by extrapolating the study data (demand and beds) to the total number of estimated beds in the country. According to the study, the total clinical demand of 251 health facilities with 51,562 beds was 474,627 whole blood units. Based on this, the clinical demand for India was estimated at 14·6 million whole blood units (95 CI: 14·59-14·62), an equivalent of 36·3 donations per 1,000 eligible populations, which will address whole blood and component requirement. The medicine specialty accounted for 6·0 million units (41·2%), followed by surgery 4·1 million (27·9%), obstetrics and gynecology 3·3 million (22·4%) and pediatrics 1·2 million (8·5%) units. The supply was 93% which is equivalent to 33·8 donations against the demand. The study indicated a demand and supply gap of 2.5 donations per 1,000 eligible persons which is around one million units. The gap emphasises the need for sustained and concerted efforts from all stakeholders and for increasing the awareness about repeat voluntary non-remunerated blood donation (VNRBD); optimizing the availability of blood components through efficient blood component separation units; promoting modern principles of patient blood management and strengthening capacities of human resources in the blood transfusion system in India.

Progress in research of risk factors of iron deficiency and intervention in blood donors

Long-term repeated regular blood donation may result in the loss and deficiency of iron. Epidemiological studies have indicated that blood donation frequency, demographical characteristics, and genetic factors are associated with iron deficiency. Our review summarizes the progress in research of etiology of iron deficiency in blood donors and intervention measures to provide evidence for the health management of non-remunerated blood donors in China.

Blood Donation in Lebanon: A Six-Year Retrospective Study of a Decentralized Fragmented Blood Management System.

IntroductionIn developing countries, the lack of a sufficient and safe blood supply is a significant impediment to providing health care. Lebanon is notable for its absence of a Donor Management System to ensure continuous donor recruitment and scheduling. Herein, we report the findings of Lebanon's first large retrospective population-based study to investigate blood types and donation that is critical for managing community blood supply.MethodsThe non-remunerated voluntary blood donors were recruited by the non-profit organization “Donner Sang Compter”. The study spanned six years, from August 2015 to May 2021, and included 36,002 people from 18 districts throughout Lebanon's nine governorates.ResultsThe most prevalent blood type was A (42%), followed by O (37.48%), B (13.86%), and the AB group (6.84%). RhD+ groups were predominant (88.45%), with A+ being the most (37.84%) and AB- being the least prevalent (1.05%). Furthermore, blood type and donation profiling revealed a substantial geographical variation in the frequency of blood groups, despite the relatively small country’s area. As for blood donation, when gender and age were considered, young male donors dominated the pool across the country.ConclusionThis study on blood type prevalence and blood donor demographics may pave the way for the development of a more coherent and integrated blood management system in Lebanon, as opposed to the fragmented and decentralized system now in existence. These findings also provide crucial clinical information for the country's future transfusion medicine policies and practices, which is vital in such a precarious part of the world.

Scrub typhus amongst normal non-remunerated voluntary blood donors, a cross-sectional study from Eastern India

Scrub typhus amongst normal non-remunerated voluntary blood donors, a cross-sectional study from Eastern India

Plasmapheresis and Plasma Donation: Challenges in the Blood/Plasma Supply Chain

Voluntary non-remunerated blood donation is well-established in many countries; however, this approach is under pressure to provide sufficient plasma for future needs. In this article we consider various aspects of plasma donation, including donor characteristics, health and safety issues, and motivating factors, including the potential role of incentives. The status of plasma donation in various European countries, and challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic are also discussed. Common motivators for plasma donors include the benefit that donated plasma provides for other people, the sense that helping others is in their nature, a sense of pride at undertaking a special task, and the desire to achieve donation goals. Motivations may differ between age groups and gender. Donating plasma is safe and adverse events are infrequent, with the most common being hypotensive/vasovagal events and phlebotomy events. The main reasons plasma donors discontinue are socioeconomic, relating to the time required and conflicts with work and other commitments. When persuading donors to convert from whole blood to plasma donation, face-to-face requests are more successful than leaflets or telephone/email requests, and clear information addressing health and safety concerns is needed. However, telephone/email communication can be helpful for encouraging plasma donors to return for future donations or to donate more frequently. There is ongoing debate about non-remunerated versus remunerated plasma donation. Remuneration may be an incentive for some individuals, whereas it may deter people who have a strong altruistic drive. It has been suggested that a combination of paid and unpaid donation systems could cover a wider range of potential donors. Most European countries currently have non-remunerated donor systems, but a few do allow monetary compensation.

Current State of Blood Transfusion Service in Mongolia

In 1963, Mongolian blood transfusion service was established officially with the independent creation of Blood Transfusion Central Station in Ulaanbaatar. In the following year of 1964, rural blood centers were organized under the provincial central hospitals in all provinces, thus blood transfusion care and service has started nationwide. As part of the continuous improvement of the legal framework for the blood transfusion sector, the Donor Law of Mongolia was adopted in 2000, amended in 2012, and revised in 2018. In 1994, Mongolian blood transfusion service has shifted from paid blood donation practice to the nonremunerated and has achieved a 100% voluntary nonremunerated blood donor, in 2016. The World Health Organization recommends that in low- and middle-income countries, the share of blood donors in the total population to be 1.5. As of 2020, this figure has reached at 1.8% in Ulaanbaatar. The National Center for Transfusion Medicine (NCTM) has introduced drastic technological innovations in blood and blood products (BBP) production periodically. Since 2007, the NCTM has been implementing three international standards in its activity including requirements for quality and competence for medical laboratories MNS ISO 15189:2015, quality management system MNS ISO 9001:2016, and occupational health and safety management system OHSAS 18001:2007/MNS OHSAS 18001/2012. In 2020, the Mongolian blood transfusion service provided safe and quality assured BBP to health care organizations with 100% of fulfillment nationwide.

Distribution of ABO and Rhesus Blood Group Phenotypes Among Blood Donors at Bahir Dar Blood Bank, Amhara, Northwest Ethiopia: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study.

BackgroundAmong the blood group antigens identified, ABO and Rhesus are the most important in transfusion medicine. ABO blood group antigens are the most immunogenic followed by Rhesus (D antigen). These blood groups’ frequency distribution varies among different regions and races of the world. This study aimed to identifying the frequency distribution of ABO blood group and rhesus factors among blood donors in Ethiopia.Methods and MaterialsAretrospective cross-sectional study was conducted from September 12/2019 to March 18/2021 at Bahir Dar blood bank service. After getting a permission letter from the blood bank, data were collected from the blood bank donor data registration system, and descriptive statistical results were presented in number (frequency) and percentage. A Chi-square test was used to show the difference in the frequency distribution of ABO and Rh blood groups among sex and blood donation site.ResultsFrom 40,053 blood donors, 67.7% were males and younger donors (within the age range of 18–24 years) account for 63.7%. All donations were from voluntary non-remunerated blood donors. The most common blood group was blood group O (41.5%) followed by A (29.8), B (23.2%), and AB (5.5%). Considering ABO and Rh blood group altogether blood group O positive with 37.9% was the predominant blood group followed by A positive (27.2%), B positive (21.4%), AB positive (5%), O negative (3.6%), A negative (2.6%), B negative (1.8%), and AB negative (0.4%). The majority of study participants were 91.5% Rh (D) positive.ConclusionThis study showed that blood group O was the predominant followed by A, B, and AB and most of the blood donors’ blood groups were Rh-positive (91.5%). About 68.9% of the total donations were from the first time donor.

Pattern Of Blood Donation And Reasons For Deferral Of Blood Donors In A Tertiary Health Facility In Northeastern Nigeria

Bbackground: Blood transfusion is an essential lifesaving procedure in medical practice. The source of blood for donation can be from Voluntary Non-remunerated Donors (VNRDs), Family Replacement Donors, Commercial/Paid donors and Autologous Donors. The VNRD has been recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). The situation in developing countries like Nigeria is different as there is scarcity of VNRDs which can be attributed to ignorance, fear, misconceptions regarding blood and blood products donation and transfusion. Objective: This study aimed to determine the pattern of blood donations and reasons for deferral in Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital Bauchi. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study where records of blood donors that presented to the Blood Bank of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH) Bauchi from January, 2018 to December 2019 were collected. Data was analyzed using Microsoft excel 2016. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Research and Ethics committee of ATBUTH Bauchi. Results: There were 19,406 prospective donors who presented for donation during the period under review. Of the 19,406 prospective donors, 24.7% (4,786/19406) were deferred from donation for various reasons including seropositivity to transfusion transmissible pathogens (70.3%), low blood level (anaemia) (20.5%), low weight (1.3%), among others. Females constituted only 2.4% (354/14,620) of the blood donors. Ninety eight percent (14,423/14,620) were family replacement donors while no commercial donors were seen during the period under review. Conclusion and Recommendations: There is a low rate of voluntary and female blood donation as well as a high donor deferral rate in our environment. We therefore recommend increased advocacy for regular voluntary non-remunerated blood donation by the community as well as encouraging more female participation in blood donation.

Knowledge, attitudes and risk perception surrounding blood donation and receipt in two high income Caribbean countries.

To compare knowledge, attitudes and risk perception related to blood donation and transfusion in Trinidad and Tobago and Bahamas. Trinidad and Tobago and the Bahamas are two Caribbean countries whose national blood transfusion systems are heavily reliant (76.2% and 76%) on family replacement donors. The Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation recommends blood collection from exclusively voluntary nonremunerated donors on the grounds that family replacement donor-based blood systems are unsafe and inadequate compared to those based on voluntary nonremunerated blood donors. A 23-item questionnaire was distributed online by snowball sampling in these two countries to assess knowledge, attitudes, risk perception and behaviour. SPSS version 24 was used for interpretative and descriptive data analysis, chi-square to measure significance and linear regression the strength of associations. p< 0.05 was used to define statistical significance. Four hundred and fifty three (453) responses were obtained from Trinidad and Tobago and 101 from the Bahamas. Knowledge and positive attitudes were high in both countries (75.5% vs. 80.2%, p< 0.001 and 96.6% vs. 100%, p< 0.001). A substantial proportion of respondents held the perception that the local blood donation system was safe or very safe (26.4 and 61.4%, p< 0.001) that was linked to the misconception that the prevalent method of blood donation was voluntary nonremunerated (27.8 and 51.4%, p< 0.001). Concerns about receiving blood were underpinned by mistrust of transfusion-related procedures. A social interface to transfer information between blood transfusion services and the community could encourage voluntary nonremunerated blood donation and reduce concerns about receiving transfusion.

A Study to Assess the Knowledge regarding Blood Donation among Non Medical Students of selected Colleges of Mount Abu, (Rajasthan)

Introduction: Blood transfusion is a medical procedure that is designed to provide patients who need Blood or blood products to correct a defect .Secure supply of safe blood components; Based on voluntary, non-remunerated blood donation is an important national goal to Prevent blood shortages. Now a day, in many low and middle income countries, blood Supply is critically inadequate. We therefore set out to determine knowledge regarding Blood donation among non-medical students. Design: A Descriptive Survey research design. Participants: 100 Non Medical Students were selected using Probability Simple random sampling technique in selected colleges of Mount Abu, Rajasthan. Tool: Self Structured Questionnaire was used to assess the level of Knowledge of Non Medical Students regarding Blood Donation. Results: In this study overall the highest percentage in the demographic data including the Age group 50% (20- 22), Gender 54% (Female), Religion 90% (Hindu), Residence 46% (Rural), Monthly Income 644% (less than 10000), father education 36% (primary education), mother’s education 64% (no formal education), father occupation 50% (others), mothers occupation 88% (house wife). Majority of students (46%) of non-medical students were having poor knowledge regarding blood donation, (32%) having average knowledge, (18%) having good knowledge and only 4% having excellent knowledge. Findings revealed that there was significant association between age and level of knowledge at 0.05.Conclusion: The result of study clearly shows that there is poor knowledge regarding blood donation among Non-Medical Students. Further research and multi centric studies required to assess the real problem behind their lacking knowledge.

Paid platelet donors: Points to consider

Paid platelet donors: Points to consider

Determination of Normal and Variant Hemoglobin using Capillary Electrophoresis among Voluntary Blood Donors in North Central Nigeria: Implications on Blood Transfusion Services

Background: Voluntary non-remunerated blood donation is a strategy adopted by World Health Organization aimed at ensuring safety and adequacy of blood supply. Sub-Saharan Africa has a high prevalence of hemoglobin disorders and therefore needs to adopt stringent measures in donor selection to ensure safety for the recipient of blood transfusion. This study aimed to analyze normal and variant hemoglobin among voluntary blood donors.&#x0D; Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 100 prospective blood donors including 55 (55%) males and 45 (45%) females, aged 18–34 years were recruited. Capillary electrophoresis using the Minicap system was used for determining the hemoglobin variants in alkaline buffer (PH 9.4). Data analysis was done using SPSS version 20 and p-value &lt; 0.05 was considered as the level of significance&#x0D; Results: The mean age of the participants was 22.23 ± 3.3 SD years. The proportion of participants with genotype AA was 67 (67%), those with AS were 17 (22 %), while those with AC were 11 (11 %). While Hb A ≥ 90% was noted in 67 (67%) blood donors, Hb S was seen in 22 (22%) and Hb A2 &gt; 3.5% in 57 (57%). Hb F &gt; 2% was observed in 3% of the studied participants&#x0D; Conclusion: Variant hemoglobin is common among blood donors and this should be taken into consideration whenever blood is being crossmatched for recipients of blood transfusion. Data from this study will be useful in raising awareness and genetic counseling.&#x0D; Keywords: prevalence, hemoglobin variants, capillary electrophoresis

HEMATOLOGICAL REFERENCE RANGES FOR HEALTHY ADULTS IN THE NORTHWEST REGION OF CAMEROON / GAMMES DE RÉFÉRENCE HÉMATOLOGIQUE POUR LA SANTÉ ADULTES DANS LA RÉGION NORD-OUEST DU CAMEROUN

The interpretation of laboratory test results requires reference or cutoff values. An improved diagnosis with accurate, reliable laboratory reference ranges saves valuable healthcare resources essential for effective clinical evaluation and monitoring. This benefit provides improved cost containment by eliminating unnecessary testing, treatment changes, and use of other healthcare resources during the episode of care. Based on the above fact, this study was designed to establish reference ranges for hematological parameters in apparently healthy voluntary non-remunerated blood donors. The study was a hospital based cross-sectional experimental study conducted between February and October 2020. Blood samples were taken from 356 healthy adults (18 to 60 years) 211 (59.3%) males and 145 (40.7%) females and routine hematology analysis performed. Patients were assessed as healthy on the basis of a medical history and medical examinations. Venous blood from the antecubital fossa was collected in 2-3mL of K- ethylenediamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA) for complete blood counts. A total of nineteen hematological parameters were tested in this study and showed significant differences (p&lt;0.001) among males and females with the former showing higher CBC values, except WBC, GRAN# and platelet. More than 10% of the female population presented results that were out of that of the accompanying manual of the hematology analyzer used in the study. The reference range for LYM % for the female was above the upper limit of the manufacturers’ manual reference and for GRAN% in the males was below the lower limit of the accompanying manual of the hematology analyzer. Several differences were also observed when compared to previously established values from Yaounde (Cameroon), most notably in platelets. Our findings for CBC parameters, are in general agreement with previously published data from more limited trials undertaken in other African countries. In spite of the uncontrolled factors influencing hematological values, this study permitted to establish new hematological reference values for use in the North West region of Cameroon. In the absence of previously detailed and more comprehensive investigated hematological reference values for the region we offered to use these results for clinical management of patients from this region and interpretations of laboratory data.&#x0D; &#x0D; L'interprétation des résultats des tests de laboratoire nécessite des valeurs de référence ou de coupure. Un diagnostic amélioré avec des plages de référence de laboratoire précises et fiables permet d'économiser de précieuses ressources de santé essentielles pour une évaluation et un suivi cliniques efficaces. Cet avantage permet une meilleure maîtrise des coûts en éliminant les tests inutiles, les changements de traitement et l'utilisation d'autres ressources de soins de santé pendant l'épisode de soins. Sur la base de ce qui précède, cette étude a été conçue pour établir des plages de référence pour les paramètres hématologiques chez des donneurs de sang volontaires non rémunérés apparemment en bonne santé. L'étude était une étude expérimentale transversale en milieu hospitalier menée entre février et octobre 2020. Des échantillons de sang ont été prélevés sur 356 adultes en bonne santé (18 à 60 ans) 211 (59,3%) hommes et 145 (40,7%) femmes et une analyse hématologique de routine a été réalisée. Les patients ont été jugés sains sur la base des antécédents médicaux et des examens médicaux. Le sang veineux de la fosse antécubitale a été collecté dans 2-3 ml d'acide K-éthylènediamine tétra acétique (EDTA) pour une numération globulaire complète. Un total de dix-neuf paramètres hématologiques ont été testés dans cette étude et ont montré des différences significatives (p &lt;0,001) entre les hommes et les femmes, le premier montrant des valeurs de FSC plus élevées, sauf globules blancs, GRAN # et plaquettes. Plus de 10% de la population féminine a présenté des résultats différents de ceux du manuel d'accompagnement de l'analyseur d'hématologie utilisé dans l'étude. La plage de référence pour LYM% pour la femelle était au-dessus de la limite supérieure de la référence manuelle du fabricant et pour GRAN% chez les mâles était inférieure à la limite inférieure du manuel d'accompagnement de l'analyseur d'hématologie. Plusieurs différences ont également été observées par rapport aux valeurs précédemment établies à Yaoundé (Cameroun), notamment dans les plaquettes. Nos résultats pour les paramètres du FSC, sont en accord général avec les données publiées antérieurement à partir d'essais plus limités entrepris dans d'autres pays africains. Malgré les facteurs incontrôlés influençant les valeurs hématologiques, cette étude a permis d'établir de nouvelles valeurs hématologiques de référence à utiliser dans la région du Nord-Ouest du Cameroun. En l'absence de valeurs de référence hématologiques étudiées précédemment détaillées et plus complètes pour la région, nous avons proposé d'utiliser ces résultats pour la prise en charge clinique des patients de cette région et l'interprétation des données de laboratoire.&#x0D; &#x0D; &lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt; Article visualizations:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0775/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

International collaboration for blood safety: The French-African experience.

Blood safety is a non-negotiable issue worldwide, specifies the World Health Organization (WHO). Africa is both an entity and a multiplicity of situations within and cross-borders. Indeed, most African countries have recent borders and political organizations, after gaining independence in the 60's. Many such countries have maintained various types of links and cooperation programs with former European countries of influence, e.g. France and Belgium among others, which is the case for several countries from the francophone Central and West Africa. Besides, borders do not delineate ethnic groups as many of them migrate, with spread North to South and East to West across several countries, each having representations, ethnologically speaking. Transfusion is an essential supportive healthcare that requires medicine, technicity and logistics. Cooperation can be provided to Francophone Africa though at the expense of recruiting donors upon criteria that do not completely overlap with e.g. those put forward in France and other high-income countries, despite WHO claims for the universal model of Voluntary Non-Remunerated Blood Donation system. Next, the patient profile in intertropical Africa-of which the various francophone African countries-stringently differs from the profile now seen in France, with its younger (but strongly social network-connected) populations and the importance of anemia of all causes but frequently infectious in nature. The frequency of antigens defining blood groups also significantly differs from that in France and the rest of Europa. Last, the carriage of blood transmissible infectious pathogens in sick but also apparently healthy populations seriously complicates the build up of suitable blood component inventory. In the present review, we discuss the universality of blood donation, the specificities of inter-continent cooperation and report on experiences of such cooperation. The French Blood Establishment EFS has taken over earlier initiatives of regional blood services and provides technology and scientific transfer and support to many countries for several decades; the National Institute for Blood transfusion, an education and research institute, has set up collaborative research in several domains but mostly in the domain of blood transmissible infections. We next also present a theoretical view of support named ALEASE, that can be pursued, based on collaborative experiences carried out in the Mediterranean Northern and Eastern areas. ALEASE promotes benchmark between participants. If there is general agreement that cooperation between economically wealthy countries and low-income, developing, countries in the domain of blood and blood transfusion safety, promotion of blood donation, blood component manufacturing, transfusion technology, hemovigilance, etc., tools to achieve this goal can be periodically reviewed based on specific needs for countries and professionals. That also comprise of adapted, sometimes specific, education programs.

Factors Associated with Antigen HBs Seroconversion among Blood Donors in Ouagadougou from 2008 to 2017

Introduction: The risk of transmission of pathogens such as hepatitis B virus threatens the safety of transfused patients especially in high endemic areas. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence and factors associated with hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) seroconversion in blood donors at the Regional Blood Transfusion Centre of Ouagadougou. Methods: A retrospective cohort study of voluntary non-remunerated blood donors (VNRBD), was conducted from 2008 to 2017. Data on HBsAg seroconversion were collected. The Kaplan-Meier method and the Log-Rank test were used to estimate the survival curves. Cox’s regression identified the factors associated with this seroconversion. Results: Of 23,494 donors, 559 had HBsAg seroconversion. The number of donor years was 58,637.50 and the HBV incidence rate was 9.53 per 1000 donor years. The median seroconversion time was 75.73 months with extremes of 2.7 months and 107.12 months. The risk of seroconversion was 1.30 times higher among donors aged 21 to 24 years old (p = 0.007) and 2.49 times higher among those over 24 years old (p < 0.0001) than among donors under 21 years old. Female donors were 1.11 times more likely to seroconvert than male donors (p = 0.33). Donor residence was not significantly associated with HBsAg seroconversion (Hazard ratio = 1.12; p = 0.36). The risk of seroconversion decreased significantly with the number of blood donations (Hazard ratio = 0.58; p = 0.006). Conclusion: The incidence of HBsAg remains high among blood donors, which could have a negative impact on transfusion safety. The age of the blood donor was significantly associated to AgHBs seroconversion.

Higher Motivation but Poor Knowledge of Blood Donation Among Residential Students and Teachers of Religious Institutions in Bangladesh – A Cross-Sectional Baseline Study

The availability of voluntary nonremunerated blood donors (VNRBD) is a major concern in low- and middle-income countries including Bangladesh. There is a substantial paucity of safe blood supply against the expected demand. This study aims to explore the status of knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding blood donation of students and teachers of residential religious academic (RRA) institutions at the community level in Bangladesh. Religious institutions were selected through simple random sampling and the cross-sectional survey was conducted among 512 participants at Jamalpur district in Bangladesh. Descriptive statistics and stepwise binary logistic regression were performed with statistical significance defined as p < 0.05. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used with Principal Component Analysis (PCA) as an extraction method to evaluate a linear KAP relationship regarding blood donation. The results showed that over 90% of the participants were students, non-smokers, and aged 18 to 30 year. The majority (92%) did not ever donate blood to anyone, yet over 42% wanted to be regular donors. More than 80% considered blood donation as a moral responsibility and an Islamic act. The common reasons for not donating blood were lack of knowledge (40%), lack of opportunity (20%), thinking it was harmful to health (21%), being scared of needles (16%), and no financial benefit (5.5%). Interestingly, more than 67% did not know their blood group and about 61 % of the respondents said they did not hear or could not remember about any blood donation program. The participants had poor knowledge of general eligibility criteria but an overall positive attitude towards blood donation. In PCA, two principal components with eigenvalues greater than 1 were retained explaining 77.42% of the total variance. The first component was influenced by knowledge and practice compared to the second component which was largely influenced by attitude. Teachers were more likely to donate blood (AOR: 1.94, 95% CI: 1.03-3.81) and possess good practice behaviour (AOR: 4.79, 95% CI: 2.23-11.92). This research highlights that a large portion of the potential healthy donors is being overlooked although they could be a valuable resource to alleviate the ongoing blood donation crisis. Funding Information: None to declare. Declaration of Interests: None to declare. Ethics Approval Statement: The study protocol was reviewed and approved by the institutional review board of Biomedical Research Foundation, Bangladesh (Ref. no: BRF/ERB/2018/004). Informed written consent was obtained from all the participants, and confidentiality was maintained during and after the data collection.

Knowledge, Attitude, Practice and Associated Factors of Adult Population towards Blood Donation in Jigjiga Town, Somali Region, Ethiopia

Background: Secure supply of safe blood components, based on voluntary, non-remunerated blood donation, is an important national goal to prevent blood shortages. Nowadays, in many low- and middle-income countries, blood supply is critically inadequate. Sub-Saharan Africa, which has the highest maternal mortality rate in the world of 510 deaths per 100000 live births, also has the lowest blood donation rates. The donated blood plays a big role during surgery, accident, delivery cases and in many bleeding cases.&#x0D; The aim of this work is to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice and associated factors of adult population towards blood donation in Jigjiga town, Eastern Ethiopia, 2019. A total of20 kebeles, six was selected by simple random sampling. The sample size was calculated by using EPI info version 7.2by considering power of 80%, confidence level of 95%, by taking the comprehensive knowledge of the study Participants towards voluntary blood donation of 43.5% from study conducted in Harartown, giving totalsample size of416. &#x0D; Result: About 249(61.2%), 318 (78.1%), and 77 (18.9%) study participants had adequate knowledge, good attitude and experience of blood donation. Those who were in college and higher education were 2.034 higher odds of knowledge towards blood donation relative to those in secondary and primary education. Study participants who were government employees and daily workers were 2.259(1.103, 4.629) times more knowledgable to housewife, students. Study particpants age range between 18-30 have less knowledge towards blood donation 0.408 times. Participants who attended college and higher education were more likely to have good attitude towards blood donation. Those respondents who are college and higher education and secondary were 2.450 times more likely, 2.359to have good attitude towards blood donation compared to primary school 2.161 respectively. Participant’s sex, education, and occupational status were found to be significantly associated with practice of blood donation. Being NGO worker is more likely to donate blood 8.167 higher than others. Male participants was more vulnarable to donate blood 5.245 times higher than female for blood do nation. In addition to this, those respondents who are graduated college and higher education were more likely to donate blood than others 3.247.&#x0D;

Review of indications for immunoglobulin (IG) use: Narrowing the gap between supply and demand.

Cellular blood components and plasma-derived medicinal products (PDMPs) are obtained from blood donated by volunteers. In a growing number of countries, in line with World Health Organization advice issued since the mid-1970s, donors are not remunerated. In recent decades, considerable efforts have been made to restrict the indications for labile blood components to those based on evidence, to ensure efficacy and safety. By contrast, the producers of PDMPs have developed pathogen reduction techniques for inactivating the microorganisms in (pooled) plasma, but little attention has been paid to the pertinence of the clinical indications for these products. The use of blood, and of erythrocytes in particular, has declined by almost 40%, but the use of immunoglobulins (IG) tripled between 2004 and 2018, making it necessary to pay donors to obtain sufficient blood to meet the market demand for these products. We analyzed the reasons for this increase to unsustainable levels of use, by investigating (practice) guidelines, recommendations, Cochrane data analyses and systematic reviews for clinical indications for IG over time. We found no new evidence explaining the huge increase up to 2018 or the predicted 5-7% yearly annual increase until 2024. For some former evidence-based indications, biologics have largely replaced IG, but the administration of IG for doubtful indications (up to 40%) has not decreased in recent decades. The main development since 2004 is that IG use in Europe has become market-driven rather than evidence-guided. As transfusion specialists and blood therapists, we must raise the alarm that this situation is likely to continue in the absence of good clinical studies determining the place of IG alongside other treatments, and for as long as market profitability remains the dominant driving force. We discuss here approaches for reversing this trend and moving towards European self-sufficiency through non-remunerated voluntary blood donation.

The development of a legal framework for blood donation and blood safety in China over 24\u2009years

BackgroundThis study analyzes the regulation of and developments in blood donation in China from 1996 to 2019, and demonstrates the government’s efforts to improve blood safety.ResultsSince the implementation of the Blood Donation Law in 1998, the number of blood donors in China increased by 275% from 1998 to 2018 (from 4 million to 15 million). The principle of no-fault liability was proposed and has been applied since 2010 to the tort liability related to blood transfusion malpractice. In 2015, mutual blood donation accounted for 4.2% of the national collection. However, in some provinces of China, the percentage of mutual blood donation increased from 9.3 to 35.6% in 2016. The National Health Commission canceled mutual blood donation in March of 2018. Since 2015, nucleic acid amplification testing has become a routine test item for screening blood.ConclusionsThe Chinese government institutionalized the voluntary non-remunerated donation principle, enacted regulations for the management of blood transfusion, and adopted advanced blood testing technology to sustain blood supply and ensure blood safety. Despite increased blood donation, blood shortages persist. The quality and safety of blood collection can be further improved through the cancellation of mutual blood donation and incentive measures for voluntary non-remunerated donation of blood, which needs facilitation by governmental legislation.