Safety: 150 blood centres closed

The Nation
Story by DANIEL NYASSY
Publication Date: 4/23/2007

More than 150 blood screening centres have been closed down in a move aimed at enhancing the safety of blood donated to patients.

Only six such centres will remain in operation country-wide. The decision was taken due to the widespread threat of Aids.

Dr Jack Nyamongo, the director of the National Public Health Laboratory Service, yesterday said it was not possible to effectively control the 170 screening centres and this had led to unsafe blood being given to patients.

Speaking to journalists in Malindi, he said the large number of screening centres had increased the risk of giving patients infected blood.

A reduction in the numbers is expected to enhance strict observance of blood processing and screening country-wide.

The centres authorised to screen, process and declare blood safe for transfusion to patients are in Mombasa, Nairobi, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret and Embu towns.

Dr Nyamongo made the revelation while attending a three-day blood safety seminar, which ran alongside a scientific conference of the Association of Kenya Medical Laboratory Science Officers at the Eden Rock Beach Hotel.

He said new national standards of blood screening were being developed to boost blood safety. Donated blood is usually screened for HIV, syphilis and other contaminations.

But Dr Nyamongo said Aids prevalence among blood donors had dropped from 13 to 1.7 per cent. The Ministry of Health was aiming at reducing this to one per cent this year and 0.5 per cent in coming years.

Kenya is able to meet 80 per cent of its blood demand. By the end of the year, it is expected to have achieved 90 per cent self-sufficiency.

Our target

Last year, Kenya’s blood reservoirs received 117,000 units of blood against a demand of 150,000 units.

“This year, our target is 140,000 units,” Dr Nyamongo said. According to him, hardly any country meets 100 per cent of its demand.

Almost all countries experience low and high seasons of blood donation. The months between November and January are low season.

“During this period, the population is generally in a celebration mood due to the Christmas and New Year festivities and tends to consume too much alcohol to qualify for blood donation,” the expert said.

The scarey phrase here is "Donated blood is usually screened for HIV, syphilis and other contaminations.".

All blood units should be screened for HIV. Even with mandatory screening of every unit there is a possibility that the unit could still contain HIV. Apparently there is a 3 - 6 month period of seroconversion where a person may have just contacted HIV but the blood doesn't yet reveal it, so even with mandatory screening it is rare but possible to acquire HIV from blood products.

Hopefully by closing down some of the more remote centers and focusing on testing each and every unit blood products will become safer in Kenya.

(The strictness of blood donation here in the US can get a little out of hand. I have been a donor in the past, but simply because I have been to Africa I am not allowed to donate now because of the possibility of malaria! Though I have never been bitten by a mosquito in Africa, thus malaria extremely unlikely, they will not accept my blood until I have been back for six months with no trace of malaria).