SARS-CoV-2 exposure in Malawian blood donors: an analysis of seroprevalence and variant dynamics between January 2020 and July 2021.

Background: By August 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic has been less severe in sub-Saharan Africa than elsewhere. In Malawi, there have been three subsequent epidemic waves. We therefore aimed to describe the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 exposure in Malawi.

Evaluation of the Sysmex XN-31 automated analyser for blood donor malaria screening at Malawi Blood Transfusion Services.

Background And Objectives: Balancing blood supply safety and sufficiency is challenging in malaria-endemic countries where the risk of transfusion-transmitted malaria (TTM) is ever-present. In support of reducing this risk, our study aimed at evaluating the performance of the Sysmex XN-31 analyser in blood donor malaria screening, as compared with current practice in Malawi.

Materials And Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted on remnant venous donor blood samples collected at Malawi Blood Transfusion Service donation sites countrywide for routine blood-borne pathogen screening.

The prevalence of red-cell antigens and antibodies in Malawi.

As there were no reliable data in Malawi for the prevalence of red cell alloantibodies or antigens in the population, a study was conducted to screen 1000 patients for the presence of antibodies and to type them for ABO, RhD, C, c, E, e and K antigens and to test 500 donors for these antigens plus Fy(a), Fy(b), Jk(a), Jk(b), S and s. Red cell antibodies were identified in 11 patients [1.1%]; 2 were anti-D, 2 anti-S, 1 anti-Le(a+b) and 6 anti-M, 4 of which were found in non-transfused males suggesting they might be naturally acquired.