The global blood donation index: an imperfect measure of transfusion need.

The optimum number of units of blood and the associated number of blood donors required to meet a given population's needs remain undetermined globally. Typically, a whole blood donation rate of ten donations per 1000 population, at a minimum, is necessary to meet a country's blood needs. This rate is attributed to a WHO recommendation that 1% of a given country's population should donate blood to ensure a blood supply that is sufficient to meet clinical needs.

Transfusion medicine research in Africa: Insights from investigators in the field.

Background And Objectives: Research in low-resource settings is inherently challenging. We sought to assess the factors that have impeded or facilitated transfusion medicine (TM) research in various African settings.

Materials And Methods: A qualitative case study was conducted of selected investigators in Africa; selection was based on productivity-spanning publication, leadership and research in TM.

Hepatitis B Virus Chronic Infection in Blood Donors from Asian and African High or Medium Prevalence Areas: Comparison According to Sex.

Immune control of various infectious diseases, particularly viral, was shown to be more efficient for females than males. Response to viral vaccines (HAV, HBV) was higher in females. Data on hepatitis B virus (HBV) markers accumulated over 15 years in blood donors was stratified according to sex, including HBsAg, HBV viral load and levels of anti-HBs in areas where genotypes B and C (China), genotype D (Iran, Lebanon, Tunisia) and genotype E (Ghana, Burkina Faso, Gabon) were prevalent.

Cost-effectiveness and budget impact of whole blood pathogen reduction in Ghana.

Background: Despite the promise of pathogen reduction for reducing transfusion-associated adverse events in sub-Saharan Africa, no health-economic assessment is publicly available.

Study Design And Methods: We developed a mathematical risk reduction model to estimate the impact of nationwide whole blood pathogen reduction in Ghana on the incidence of six infectious and one non-infectious transfusion-associated adverse events. We estimated the lifetime direct healthcare costs and disability-adjusted life years lost for each adverse event.

Prophylactic antibiotics for preventing pneumococcal infection in children with sickle cell disease.

Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of inherited disorders that result in haemoglobin abnormalities and other complications. Injury to the spleen, among other factors, contribute to persons with SCD being particularly susceptible to infection. Infants and very young children are especially vulnerable.