Progress in Global Blood Safety for HIV

Blood safety

Progress in Global Blood Safety for HIV

Takei T, Abu Amin N, Schmid G, Dhingra-Kumar N, and Rugg D, J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr, 2009;52(S2)

The aim of the report was to assess progress towards ensuring a globally safe blood supply. The authors examined 2 global databases for blood safety: that of the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS) blood safety indicator; and that of the Global Database on Blood Safety (GDBS), a database developed by the World Health Organization. The UNGASS data were collected through the Ministry of Health based on the GDBS data, followed by a reconciliation and cross-checking of the data by World Health Organization and United Nations Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS). They found that the proportion of United Nations member countries reporting UNGASS data for blood safety is among the highest of all UNGASS indicators: 147 of 192 United Nations Member States participated in UNGASS reporting in 2008 and 125 of them (85%) submitted data on blood safety. Ninety-one of the 125 countries (73%) reported that 100% of collected blood units were screened in a quality assured manner, but 34 countries did not screen all collected blood units in accordance with minimum quality standards. GDBS data showed that 80.7 million blood units were collected globally in 167 countries during 2004–2005, of which 77.3 million were tested for HIV and at least 0.6 million of the remaining 3.4 million donations went untested. In conclusion, progress has been made toward eliminating blood transfusion as a significant cause of HIV infection globally. Screening all donated blood for HIV in accordance with minimum quality standards remains vital, however, as health care systems should, at a minimum, do no harm. This goal is achievable and would assist in reaching Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

Editors’ note: Because receiving HIV-infected blood leads to HIV infection in 95 to 100 per cent of people who are transfused with it, ensuring the safety of blood transfusion is a highly cost-effective prevention measure at an estimated 18$ per HIV infection averted. The fact that screening all donated blood in accordance with standardised procedures in a quality assured manner is still not universal around the world is disturbing. Gaps in blood supply in some settings are endangering lives and 50% of transfusions are unnecessary in others, but it is of immediate concern that so many countries are failing to ensure safe blood for their citizens when they are in dire need. Achieving this goal is not beyond reach and will save lives.