SANBS clarifies blood donations after exposure to malaria areas
Should a donor have travelled to a malaria-endemic area over the holidays, this could affect their ability to donate blood for several weeks after their return
THE South African National Blood Service (SANBS) warns South Africans to carefully consider the timing of their first blood donation this year, especially in cases where they visited malaria-endemic areas during the annual Summer holiday.
SANBS warns that should a donor have travelled to a malaria-endemic area over the holidays, this could affect their ability to donate blood for several weeks after their return.
The life-threatening disease is prevalent in some parts of South Africa like the north coast of KwaZulu-Natal and the lowveld areas of Mpumalanga. Neighbouring high-risk countries include Swaziland and Mozambique which are popular holiday destinations.
According to the World Health Organisation, Sub-Saharan African countries accounted for 90% and 92% of global malaria cases and deaths respectively in 2015. In South Africa 10,000 cases of malaria are detected annually.
Malaria is among the infectious diseases that SANBS prioritises in the screening process as it is transmitted from infected individuals through blood transfusions and infected needles. The outcome for those infected can be deadly therefore SANBS has adopted stringent procedures to curb its transmission.
The organisation conducts comprehensive interviews to obtain information from donors thus reducing the risk of malaria-infected blood passing through the system.
These interviews form part of an integrated screening process which includes extensive laboratory testing of blood to prevent the transmission of malaria and other infectious diseases commonly found in South Africa, namely HIV, Hepatitis B and C and syphilis.
SANBS marketing manager Silungile Mlambo emphasised the importance of donors answering the self-exclusion questionnaire accurately. “We encourage donors to give us as much information as possible when answering the self-exclusion questionnaire, as this is the first step in the blood collection process that enables us to safeguard the nation’s blood supply to the best of our ability,” said Ms Mlambo.
These are the malaria-related exclusion criteria:
- Donors who have contracted malaria can donate three years after completing treatment.
- Donors who travel to high-risk areas can give blood four weeks after their return from a malaria area if they have not experienced any symptoms commonly associated with malaria such as fever, sweating and headache.
The guidelines are slightly different for donors who grew up in malaria areas outside South Africa and now live in the country.
If the time absent from their country of origin is:
- More than three years and they have made no visits back to those areas, they will be allowed to donate if they fit all other criteria.
- Less than three years and they have revisited the malaria area within the three years, they must wait for another three years before their next donation.
“SANBS understands that our various processes can sometimes be difficult to understand and remember. Therefore we urge all existing and potential donors to always seek information and advice from our donor centres and other channels including the toll-free number and the website,” said Ms Mlambo.
