Africa struggles to keep transfusions life-saving

Abigail
11/30

In many African hospitals they have been having a difficult time deciding whether or not to give some blood transfusions because they could be tested positive for HIV and it is not uncommon for these test results to be wrong. In efforts to provide as many life-saving transfusions as possible, blood services are struggling to reduce the reliance of donations from high-risk groups, not only are they trying to ensure that the blood is not HIV positive but that it is free of transfusion-transferable infections. Although blood services and several African countries say that every unit of blood is tested for HIV the World Health Organization estimates that about 5 to ten percent of new HIV infections in Africa have resulted from contaminated blood used in life saving operations. These blood transfusions are used as treatment for severe anemia caused by malaria or malnutrition and complications related to childbirth trauma. These diseases along with HIV/AIDS are some of the worst health problems that many of the African people may face. According to data from WHO in 2004 about 87 percent of African countries collected less than half of the blood they needed to meet the needs of their populations this makes some needed transfusions often unavailable. WHO estimates that about eight million units of blood are needed annually which is five million more unites than are currently collected.

This is an extremely sad situation. The article starts with a story of a women and her new born baby that are in need of a blood transfusion that probably will not get it because the only unite of blood available has been tested positive for HIV. I even when the results for the HIV test on the blood units that they are able to get come back it is not uncommon for them to be wrong. It is almost as if the doctor and the patient are never really able to know for sure if they are giving or receiving clean blood.

http://www.thestar.com/news/globalvoices/article/732454--africa-struggles-to-keep-transfusions-life-saving