Today, Monday 25 April, is World Malaria Day, which comes at a time where many South Africans, including the South African National Blood Service (SANBS) are working to fight the preventable disease.
It’s deadly but preventable and exists in parts of South Africa, endemic to some neighbouring countries and passed on by malaria-carrying mosquitoes. According to the SANBS in a recent press statement, malaria is also transmitted from infected individuals through blood transfusions and infected needles.
“In 2013 over half a million people globally succumbed to malaria, today 1.2 billion live in high risk areas,” Luyanda Majija on behalf of the service said.
“In South Africa, 10 per cent of the population lives in high-risk areas spread across Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal, and the spread of malaria is seasonal.
“The most effective way to prevent getting infected is to control and limit exposure to malaria-carrying mosquitoes; the SANBS in this regard urges communities to use methods like mosquito nets and appropriate insecticides,” Majija said.
According to SANBS communications manager, Vanessa Raju, “Prevention methods are reducing global malaria numbers, but Africa remains the continent with the largest number of deaths due to malaria, thus there is ample opportunity to improve education and awareness about the epidemic and find better ways to curb the spread.”
Those who are at the greatest risk include young children with underdeveloped protective immunity, people living with HIV/Aids and non-immune pregnant women.
In their work as blood handlers and dispensers, the SANBS runs extensive laboratory procedures as part of their integrated screening process to avoid malaria-infected blood passing through the system. This includes testing each collected unit of blood for infections common to South Africans, like HIV/Aids, Hepatitis B and C and syphilis.
“The need for life-saving blood transfusions in South Africa leaves no room for us to compromise in the precautionary measures we implement to make sufficient quantities of safe blood available,” Raju said.
“We greatly appreciate the donors for their selfless gift of life to patients in need, and urge everyone who donates blood to answer all questions asked in donation questionnaires accurately.”
For more information, call the SANBS toll-free help line on 0800 11 9031.
Email us at roodepoortrecord@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.
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