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Blood Safety Status in WHO African Region Countries: Lessons Learnt from Mauritius
André Loua1, Janaki Sonoo2, Laurent Musango3
1WHO Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville, Congo.
Journal of Blood Transfusion
|November 29, 2017
Summary
Mauritius significantly improved blood safety by increasing donations and voluntary contributions. Key advancements include universal infectious marker testing and enhanced blood component preparation, though regulatory frameworks need strengthening.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Transfusion Medicine
- Health Policy
Background:
- The World Health Organization (WHO) Office for Africa established a blood safety strategy in 2001 with four key targets.
- Mauritius has been implementing this strategy since 2004, developing a national blood policy and strategic plan.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess Mauritius's progress in implementing the WHO blood safety strategy.
- To evaluate key blood safety indicators against WHO-recommended norms.
Main Methods:
- Collection and comparison of blood safety indicators over time (2002-2016).
- Analysis of blood donation rates, voluntary donation percentages, infectious marker testing, and blood component preparation.
- Review of national policies and strategic plans for blood safety.
Main Results:
- Annual blood collection rate increased from 26.3 to 34.2 per 1000 inhabitants.
- Percentage of voluntary donations rose from 60% to 82.5%.
- All blood units tested for mandatory infectious markers since 2002; blood component preparation increased to 98.2%; ISO 2008-9001 certification achieved; nucleic acid testing introduced.
Conclusions:
- Mauritius has made substantial progress in blood safety, meeting several WHO targets.
- Challenges remain in establishing a robust legal framework and a comprehensive haemovigilance system.
- Development of a formal regulatory system for blood transfusion services is recommended.