A new study by scientists has revealed blood transfusions could aid new malaria infections, therefore emphasizing the need for higher screening standards to save patients.
According to researchers from the Worldwide Antimalarial Resistance Network (WWARN), as many as 25 percent of blood banks supplies in sub-Saharan Africa contain malaria parasites therefore posing a putting patients in need of more blood vulnerable to new infections.
Another study that focused on blood supply in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea’s capital, showed that there were even higher levels of dormant malaria infection, as high as 89 percent, but undetectable by common diagnostic tools.
Both results were presented by the scientists at the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM) Pan African Malaria Conference in Dakar, Senegal, early last week.
Sub-Saharan African countries like Kenya carry the highest burden of malaria in the world, making the disease the highest killer of children under five years.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says 90 per cent of all malaria cases are located in the region with Kenya having 70 per cent of its estimated 46 million at risk of contracting malaria and 3,000 children under five die every year from the disease.
East Africa’s Lake Victoria region has the highest prevalence of malaria with one out of three people at risk of getting infected. Preventive measures have been put in place since 2010 however hence helping in lowering the prevalence from 38 per cent.
Scientists have advised that in order to curb malaria in the region, all sources of disease transmission, including the region’s blood banks.
The first study titled “A systematic review and meta-analysis of the risk of transfusion-transmitted malaria from blood donors in sub-Saharan Africa” was conducted by Dr Selali Fiamanya and colleagues from WWARN.
