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Over90% of recipients of HIV infected blood will seroconvert. In the Region 368 cases were due to transmission through blood or blood products. With establishment of HIV screening facilities, the proportion of AIDS cases due to blood transmission has decreased. AIDS due to blood transmission will continue to occur due to the time lag between the occurrence of HIV infection and appearance of AIDS. HIV seroprevalence among recipients of multiple blood transfusions decreased from 270 per 10 000 in 1987-89 to 7 per 10 000 in 1995. Effective methods are available for prevention of HIV transmission through blood, but antigen and PCR tests are expensive and not recommended for screening of blood donations in developing countries

The under-representation of women in blood donation can lead to blood shortages. We aimed to determine the factors, which encourage or impede blood donations in women. The findings can help us in designing effective recruitment strategies that could encourage women to donate blood to cover the patients’ needs. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Shiraz, Iran, from the 1st of January 2017 to the 1st of August 2017 on women aged 18–60 years old. The demographic characteristics of the participants, the reasons that motivate blood donors and the factors that discourage non-donors were surveyed. Reasons for lapses in donors were also mentioned. The most frequent reasons for blood donation were altruistic causes (94.4%), moral and personal obligations (89.1%), the feeling of responsibility (82.7%), and awareness of the positive effects on their health (77.4%). The most common deterrents in non-donors were fear of developing anemia (68.4%) or weakness and dizziness (66%), unsuitability due to certain medical conditions (62.4%), and lack of a situation in which they were asked to donate blood (61.8%). Although altruistic reasons are the chief motivating factors for women to donate blood, the overall female contribution in blood donation remains low. Therefore, it is necessary to take measures aiming at informing women about the importance of blood donation and to reduce fears based on misinformation. Confidence in the blood donation organization must be a major consideration in future recruitment strategies to reassure women about the safety of blood donation.

PurposeBlood donation knowledge of healthy young students is crucial to donate blood voluntarily and regularly in long-term. This study aimed to determine the influencing factors on the blood donation knowledge, to identify gaps of blood donation knowledge and reasons for not donating blood among university and college students in Yangon, Myanmar.Design/methodology/approachCross-section survey (May 2019) was conducted in students of Yangon Technological University (YTU) and National Management Degree College (NMDC) with the use of quota and convenience sampling method. The questionnaires covered sociodemographic characteristics, blood donation knowledge and reasons for not donating blood.FindingsTotal 320 students (129 males and 191 females) with age of 18 to 23 years old participated. Previous blood donation had statistically significant influence on blood donation knowledge scores (ß = 0.396, p Originality/valueBlood donations programs should extend awareness-raising programs in academic society and population at large. Raising awareness should focus on the knowledge gaps such as donor eligibility, interval of blood donations, TTIs and benefits of donating blood to recipients.

Objectives of this study were to analyze characteristics influencing blood donation status, to identify anxieties and reasons for (non-)blood donation, and potential channels for future blood donation campaigns. A random population from Germany was interviewed using the online survey tool SoSci Survey. The access link to the questionnaire was distributed via snowball system and the Bavarian Red Cross. Statistical analysis was performed to identify factors influencing blood donation status. A total of 682 participants (27.3% blood donors) with a mean age of 33.4 and a standard deviation (SD) of 12.0 years were included into the analysis. Strongest factor associated with being blood donor was having a blood donor within family and friends (Odds ratio [OR]: 5.05 [95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 2.63; 9.70]; p≤0.001), whereas having anxiety related to blood donation was the strongest factor for being non-blood donor (OR: 0.11 [95% CI: 0.05; 0.21] p≤0.001). Other factors significantly influencing blood donor status were age, health-related quality of life, knowledge on blood donation, being an organ donor and having pre-conditions. Main anxieties avoiding blood donation were fear of physical consequences, and fear of the injection needle. Most frequently mentioned channels which should be used for blood donation campaigns were Instagram and free TV. Involving blood donors into campaigns to recruit new blood donors from their personal environment and to focus campaign content on physical benefits of blood donations might help to recruit new blood donors. In addition, running campaigns stronger on channels such as Instagram might increase their scope.

Objectives To estimate the number of actually Severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infected blood donors applying a statistical forecasting model. Background Following the outbreak of the SARS‐CoV‐2 epidemic, a drop in blood donation has been observed. It is crucial to determine the actual number of potential SARS‐CoV‐2‐positive donors to define the measures and ensure adequate blood supply. Methods The cumulative incidence of SARS‐CoV‐2 positivity, calculated on the general population, was applied to the donor population by estimating the number of positive subjects. The calculation model was validated by the linear interpolation method. The number of blood units actually discarded based on post‐donation information was also taken into account. Results Three months after the outbreak, 5322 donors were estimated to be positive for SARS‐CoV‐2 and were therefore potentially excluded from donation. A total of units of blood components were discarded following post donation information. The estimated number of donors deceased (180) and the number of clinically recovered individuals in the same period was also considered. Conclusion This forecasting model can be used to obtain information on blood donors' involvement during future SARS‐CoV‐2 outbreaks, especially in case of changes concerning epidemiology, incidence by age bracket and geographical distribution and also for new outbreaks of emerging viruses.

Objective:Disasters can have impact on the demand and supply of blood, with such a difficult perspective, planning of an appropriate response to counterbalance the need for blood is of paramount importance. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate how the impact of blood imbalances may be absorbed by inert recruitment of donors during 2 life-threatening earthquakes that shook Taiwan on the same date in 2016 and 2018.Method:A retrospective database search from blood bank registries was developed.Results:Despite the public efforts to restrain the flow, a 3- to 4-fold increase in volunteers responded to the earthquakes. This surge alleviated after a day and did not contribute to sub-par collections. Those who donated more than usual immediately after the event were identified as first-time, younger, and female populations. The hospitals providing inpatient care to the injured transfused a slightly decreased amount of packed red cells, whereas the use of whole blood, platelets, and plasma remained stable. The inert recruiting was effective in reducing the duration of donor overabundance.Conclusion:Compared with other examples, the inert recruiting approach was effective in reducing the duration of donor overabundance to 1 day and may be useful for disaster preparedness of transfusion supplies.

Background To quantify the impact of the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) on the risk of HIV transmission through infected blood donations in countries supported by PEPFAR blood safety programs. Methods Data reported to the World Health Organization Global Database on Blood Safety were analyzed from 28 countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), Asia, and the Caribbean during 2004-2015. We used the Goals model of Spectrum Spectrum System Software, version 5.53, to perform the modeling, assuming laboratory quality for HIV testing had 91.9% sensitivity and 97.7% specificity irrespective of testing method based on results of two external quality assurance and proficiency testing studies of transfusion screening for HIV in SSA blood centers. We calculated the number of new HIV infections from the number of transfusions and the prevalence of HIV infection acquired from blood transfusions with infected blood donations. We determined the impact of laboratory testing programs by estimating the number of new HIV infections averted since PEPFAR implementation. Results Assuming that HIV testing would not be performed in any of these countries without PEPFAR funding, the number of new HIV infections acquired from blood transfusions averted by laboratory testing increased over time in all 28 countries. The total number of HIV infections averted was estimated at 229 278 out of 20 428 373 blood transfusions during 2004-2015. Conclusion Our mathematical modeling suggests a positive impact achieved over 12 years of PEPFAR support for blood safety. Standardized HIV testing of donated blood has reduced the risk of HIV transmission through blood transfusions in SSA, Asia, and the Caribbean.

The course of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly affected the healthcare systems in multiple ways, the programs of control and the management of patients with other infectious diseases as well as with chronic and acute non-communicable diseases, including those conditions requiring blood transfusions. Blood donations have been decreasing over time in multiple countries with their expected consequences. Although the spread of SARS-CoV-2 has not been detected via blood transfusion, the increasing fear and anxiety among communities have led to a substantial decrease in blood donations. Several research groups have raised concerns about the consequences associated with the scarcity of blood. However, it is critical to understand the underlying causes of the sharp decline in blood donations, as well as the consequences. Hence, we discuss the impact of blood scarcity at the blood banks during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as strategies to promote blood donations, given the experience in some countries with this situation. © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Background Brazilian blood banks encourage donors to report postdonation information (PDI) regarding conditions that would lead to deferral in an attempt to retrieve distributed nonconforming blood. Objectives This study evaluated the profile of donors reporting PDI, the impact on transfusion safety, and the possible impact on the discard of blood products. Subjects and methods We analyzed 115 consecutive PDIs between May 2014 and July 2015, a period comprising two dengue-like syndrome (DLS) outbreaks. Results These PDIs accounted for 87,780 blood donations. The average time for PDIs since donation was 4 (0-23) days and 190 blood components were discarded. DLS accounted for 21.7% of the PDIs analyzed; 11 of the 23 samples tested were nucleic acid test (NAT) positive for dengue and 2 positive for Zika virus (ZIKV). Six of these PDIs were reported after blood components have been transfused: After NAT testing, one of these recipients was diagnosed with dengue and another one with ZIKV infection, both possible transfusions transmitted but without clinical consequences. Conclusion The high number of recovered blood components due to PDI suggests that PDI remains a great ally in the fight against transfusion-transmitted infections and may be particularly useful during outbreaks of emerging potentially blood-borne pathogens.

Background: Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium. As migration of populations from endemic areas to Europe and overseas recreational travel to endemic regions increase, there is also a growing risk of transfusion-transmitted tropical diseases by blood components. Material and Methods: In the present study two routine Plasmodium spp. ELISA (CAPTIA™ Malaria EIA, Trinity Biotech, and Malaria EIA, BioRad) were compared with a new commercial ELISA (ELISA IgG, EUROIMMUN). From December 1, 2015 until November 30, 2016, 1,096 plasma samples from blood donors with a potential risk of malaria infection were collected at two blood transfusion centres in Germany and Switzerland. Results: The samples were tested comparatively with the ELISA from EUROIMMUN and the routine test used at the respective centre. Thirty-four of 595 (5.7%) tested blood samples from centre 1 and 49 of 501 (9.8%) tested blood samples from centre 2 showed reactivity on either or both ELISAs. All 83 reactive samples were sent for confirmation to the Diagnostic Centre of the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) in Basel, Switzerland. Sixteen samples, which previously were reactive in the routine Plasmodium spp. EIA assays, were proven positive after confirmation testing (i.e., 4 positive and 12 inconclusive results), indicating an anti-Plasmodium antibody prevalence in blood donations of 1.5%. From these 16 reactive samples, 13 were also detected by the index test, resulting in an assay sensitivity of 81.2%. A specificity of 98.6% was calculated (1,065/1,080 confirmed negative samples). The overall agreement with the reference centre was 95.8% in centre 1 and 94% in centre 2. Conclusion: The comparison of the new EUROIMMUN ELISA and the established CAPTIA™ Malaria EIA (Trinity Biotech) and Malaria EIA (BioRad) used for routine blood donor screening in two laboratory blood donation centres revealed that all tested ELISAs show comparable sensitivities and are equally suitable for anti-Plasmodium antibody screening in blood banks.

The transfusion of blood and its component is very essential health care modality wherein it saves life, but can also be hazardous to recipients. Despite of stringent screening methods done prior to transfusion there is always a bleak possibility of getting infections like HIV, HCV, HBV, Treponema pallidum and malaria. This study was a retrospective study carried out at Blood Bank and Component Lab, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Memorial Medical College, Amravati over period of five years. A total of 52606 donor’s blood was collected over the period of 5 years (From 1st January 2012 to 31st December 2016). Out of these 45,796 (87.05%) were voluntary blood donations and 6,810 (12.94%) were replacement Blood donations. The overall seropositivity for all TTIs (HIV, HCV, HBV, Treponema pallidum and malaria) over a period of five years was found to be 1425 (2.71%) in which 1081 (2.36%) were voluntary donors and 344 (5.05%) were replacement donors. It was observed from the findings of this study that seropositivity rate of TTIs was less among voluntary donors. It was concluded that to improve blood safety extensive donor selection, use of sensitive screening and establishing strict guidelines in blood transfusion will help us to reduce burden of TTIs in our society. Keywords: Seroprevalence, Seropositivity, TTIs, Voluntary donors, Replacement donors.

Background Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), was first identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, with subsequent worldwide spread. The first US cases were identified in January 2020. Methods To determine if SARS-CoV-2–reactive antibodies were present in sera prior to the first identified case in the United States on 19 January 2020, residual archived samples from 7389 routine blood donations collected by the American Red Cross from 13 December 2019 to 17 January 2020 from donors resident in 9 states (California, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin) were tested at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for anti–SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Specimens reactive by pan-immunoglobulin (pan-Ig) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) against the full spike protein were tested by IgG and IgM ELISAs, microneutralization test, Ortho total Ig S1 ELISA, and receptor-binding domain/ACE2 blocking activity assay. Results Of the 7389 samples, 106 were reactive by pan-Ig. Of these 106 specimens, 90 were available for further testing. Eighty-four of 90 had neutralizing activity, 1 had S1 binding activity, and 1 had receptor-binding domain/ACE2 blocking activity >50%, suggesting the presence of anti–SARS-CoV-2–reactive antibodies. Donations with reactivity occurred in all 9 states. Conclusions These findings suggest that SARS-CoV-2 may have been introduced into the United States prior to 19 January 2020.

PurposeAlthough blood banks have recently started to recruit blood donors through social media platforms, including WeChat, to increase recruitment effectiveness, few researchers have studied their effects on blood donation behavior. The aim of this study is to examine the influence of using official WeChat accounts on repeat blood donation behavior.Design/methodology/approachThis paper used the backstage operation data of official WeChat accounts and blood supply chain management system data from the blood bank for the study to analyze the changes in repeat blood donation behavior. First, to analyze the changes in the average frequency of blood donation per year, average volume of single blood donation and blood eligible rate of repeat blood donors before and after following the official WeChat accounts by difference-in-differences model combined with propensity score matching (PSM-DID). Second, we examined the impact of official WeChat accounts on the proportion of repeat blood donors through survival analysis.FindingsThe results show that following WeChat accounts increases the average frequency of blood donation and blood eligible rate of repeat blood donors by 14.36% and 1.19%, respectively, and have no significant effect on the average volume of single blood donation. Further, WeChat accounts have a more significant impact on the average frequency of blood donations per year for workers, farmers, medical staff and groups with education levels of junior high school. In addition, official WeChat accounts can effectively increase the proportion of repeat donors.Originality/valueThe results provide a quantitative basis for the influence of official WeChat accounts on repeat blood donation behaviors. On the one hand, it is of great significance to guide the publicity and recruitment of unpaid blood banks. On the other hand, it provides an evidence for the promotion of official WeChat accounts.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) are endemic in South Africa while hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is rare. Two nucleic acid amplification technology platforms, the Procleix Ultrio Elite assay on the Panther instrument (Elite) and the cobas MPX assay on the cobas 6800 or 8800 system (MPX), are used worldwide. In 2015 these were evaluated in South African context. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS The sensitivity of HIV, HBV, and HCV was evaluated using reference panels and 2-fold dilutions of 51 positive plasma samples tested in 12 to 24 replicates. The 95% and 50% lower limits of detection (LOD) were estimated by probit analysis and window period (WP) risk days by the Weusten model. Specificity was established by testing 3646 blood donations individually and instrument performance by evaluating all runs. RESULTS Specificity was 99.94% for MPX and 99.97% for Elite. The following 95% LODs (95% confidence intervals [CIs]) were estimated for MPX and Elite, respectively: HBV, 17.8 (10.9-33.9) and 47.9 (29.1-92.4) cp/mL; HCV, 21.9 (15.3-34.6) and 13.8 (8.9-24.0) cp/mL; and HIV, 8.3 (5.5-14.7) and 10.4 (6.9-18.2) cp/mL. On SA HBV and HIV dilution panels, relative sensitivity (range) of MPX was 3.20 (1.26-6.50) and 1.42 (0.26-2.72) fold higher than Elite. Downtime on cobas 6800 was 26 hours vs 6.6 hours on Panther (P

Background COVID-19 first appeared in Iran on 19 February 2020, and then spread rapidly over the country. In this article, we review the action plan of the Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization with respect to this disease. Method and materials We collected data on blood donations and RBC inventory for the first 8 weeks of the outbreak. We also evaluated the trend of blood donations and RBC inventory and compared them with the data of the past year. We include a summary of actions taken by the National Committee on Management of COVID-19 outbreak. Results Blood donations decreased from 33 275 to 23 465 units during the first 2 weeks of the outbreak with a corresponding decrease in the RBC inventory. But after that, donations gradually increased from 23 465 to 29 665 units. RBC inventory levels improved at the same time. Then, the Iranian New Year's holiday resulted in another downward trend. After the holiday, blood donations revived, along with the RBC inventory. Discussion Although it appears that this virus cannot be transmitted through transfusion, changes in lifestyle had a significant impact on reducing blood supply. Following implemented measures, we saw an upward trend in blood donations and an adequate supply of RBC units in blood centres, helped by a reduction in demand by hospitals. Blood centres need to be more prepared to manage future viral disasters, especially in case of transfusion-transmissible infections.

Objetivo: Describir las características de los donantes voluntarios de sangre en las Universidades de Neiva Huila, durante las promociones realizadas por el banco de sangre del Hospital Universitario Hernando Moncaleano Perdomo en convenio con la Universidad Surcolombiana durante el período 2013-2017. Materiales y métodos: Estudio observacional descriptivo de corte transversal, para los periodos de enero 2013 a diciembre 2017, basado en fuentes secundarias suministradas por la Red Nacional de Bancos de Sangre, a través del Banco de Sangre del Hospital Universitario Hernando Moncaleano Perdomo de Neiva. Se realizó un muestreo por conveniencia, que cumplieran con criterios de inclusión y exclusión definidos para el estudio. Las variables que se analizaron fueron grupos de edad, género, grupo sanguíneo ABO y factor Rh. Resultados: Durante el periodo de estudio se realizaron 6.547 donaciones de sangre voluntarias, de las cuales el 85,5% (I.C 95%: 84,6-86,3) fueron ocasionales y el 14,5% (I.C 95%: 13,6-15,6) habituales. Quienes más donaron fueron hombres entre 19 y 29 años. Se evidencio que el factor Rh positivo y el grupo sanguíneo O+, fueron los que más prevalecieron en la población donante en el 98,5% y 61,6% respectivamente. Conclusión: Los donantes voluntarios habituales son principalmente hombres entre 19 y 29 años, con grupo sanguíneo O y Rh +, dado que los hombres pueden realizar un mayor número de donaciones en comparación con las mujeres. Palabras Clave: Características de la población, Donantes de sangre, Sistema del grupo sanguíneo ABO, Sangre, Factor Rh.

At the present time the question about using plasma from donors who have had a coronavirus infection and from those with the specific antibodies for transfusion to patients in the acute stage of the process is being repeatedly raised on the background of the worldwide fight against coronavirus. They were the first to resort to such practices in St. Petersburg in Russia, however, it is too early to talk about any high-efficiency transfusions. It is necessary to take into account the fact that in the presence of three hundred patients who need transfusion of immune plasma, an antibody titer has been detected in only 12 donors. Given the existing circumstances, it is necessary to remember about the importance of observing the intervals between donations, whether it is plasma or whole blood. Failure to comply with these intervals, the lack of regular monitoring of clinical and biochemical blood parameters in donors, failure to comply with recommendations for observing the diet and rest between donations can lead to decompensation of recovery processes and seriously affect health of the donor. Donor rehabilitation during the recovery period requires normalization of the diet, and in some cases oral administration of preparations.

Background: The ongoing demographic changes in Poland affect the number of donors and donations with direct impact on provision of blood and blood components for transfusion. With predicted population-decline, the number of potential donors is likely to decrease while the demand for blood is bound to increase as more people will require blood therapy. The structure of the Polish donor population reporting for blood donation is not uniform, moreover it has undergone additional changes within the study period. So it seems justified to perform in-depth analysis of the dynamics of changes in the number and structure of donor group as well as determine the direction and intensity of these changes in spatial and temporal terms. Identification of the possible causes of change is also important. Aim: presentation of the structure characteristics of the donor group who reported at the Polish regional blood transfusion centers (RBTCs) in the period 2005–2017 with the intention of donating blood/ blood components. Materials and methods: Analyses of available data-sets — annual reports from 21 Polish RBTCs forwarded to the IHTM. The following tools were used for statistical analysis: Microsoft Office: Access and Excel, Microsoft Power Business Intelligence (Power BI) software and STATISTICA version 13.3 software (TIBCO Software Inc.). Results: In 2005–2017 the total number of donors amounted to 8 691 611 including 2 542 621 (29.3%) women and 6 148 990 (70.7%) men. Voluntary non-remunerated donors were estimated at 8 684 069 (99.9%). The average annual number of donors per RBTC was 31 837 and included 31 809 voluntary non-remunerated donors; 22 524 men and 9314 women. Countrywide, the highest number was reported for the period 2011–2013; 701 882 (8.08%), 707 578 (8.14%) and 706 246 (8.13%) for respective years and for the period 2015–2016 the numbers were 718 887 (8.27%) and 706 476 (8.13%) respectively. The highest number for the period was reported by 5 RBTCs: Warsaw (951 068 — 10.94%), Katowice (748 841; 8.62%), Poznan (702 087; 8.08%), Krakow (651 057; 7.49%) and Wroclaw (556 357; 6.40%). In the number of 2 352 099 donors who have recently reported for blood donation at the RBTCs the 25–44 age group was the largest (48%). The least numerous was the 45–65 age group — 548 885 (ca. 11%). There were 2 030 692 donors in the 18–24 age category ( > 41% of the total donor-population).Trend-analysis demonstrated an upward tendency for the category of 25–44 age donors and a downward one for the 18–24 age category. No explicit trend was observed for the 45–65 age group. Conclusion: The number of blood donations in Poland has recently reached the limit of approximately 1 200 000 donations per year. To exceed this limit will be no easy task. All efforts must therefore be focused on promoting people’s willingness to donate blood. The analysis indicates a falling tendency for the 18–24 age group and a rising one for higher age groups, which only raises concern for the future. The priority is therefore to motivate people of all agegroups to donate blood and become multiple donors with special emphasis however on the very young people as they are the potential source for many years to come. Promotion of voluntary non-remunerated blood-donation among children is equally important; in several years’ time transfusion medicine will depend on their willingness to donate blood.

Blood is one of the most important parts in the human body because blood has a function to circulate the juice, carry oxygen, circulate hormones, and others. If humans reduce blood caused by accidents or anemia, so that humans lack blood or store dirty blood in the body, then it can cause diseases that endanger the health of even someone. Blood donor activity is an activity of the process of blood transfer from donors to people who lack blood. The process is carried out by those who carry out blood processing processes such as the Blood Transfusion Unit (UTD) under the auspices of the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI). UTD PMI Pekanbaru City only has a web-based blood donor information system, so UTD PMI Pekanbaru City wants to keep up with the times where many users use smartphones so they want to upgrade from the web version to the Android version. The reason for the improvement of this system aims to reduce hosting costs to be paid when using a web system and Android-based information system does not require typing too much when the user will carry out an order to the system, its use is not limited by space and place, and does not really need a connection that is prime to run the system. Android-Based Donor Information System in the Indonesian Red Cross Blood Transfusion Unit (UTD PMI) Pekanbaru City can help all people to find out about information about blood donations well by using Android-based smartphones as interesting media.

Blood donor activities are specifically the responsibility of the Indonesian Red Cross Blood Transfusion Unit Pekanbaru City. In addition, there is also the authority of the hospital to form a Blood Bank and for certain cases special handling becomes the authority of the central government. Given the importance of blood for humanitarian missions, it is necessary to have the active involvement of all elements of society to donate blood regularly. From the observations made, it was found that problems were still found by people who were confused in administrative matters. Then there are still many Pekanbaru City residents who have never done blood donor activities, not all agencies that require employees to do blood donations. Therefore it is necessary to do qualitative research to overcome these problems using the Lijan Sipoltak theory. The informants used were blood donor and community apparatus units. As a result, the quality of public services has run according to applicable regulations but still needs improvement.

Background and objectives Assessment of HBV-NAT testing compared to HBsAg and anti-HBc screening in German blood establishments for the period 2008-2015. Materials and methods Blood donations screened for HBsAg and anti-HBc along with HBV-NAT were evaluated. Sensitivity of HBsAg and HBV-NAT tests was compared in 30 HBV seroconversion panels and with the viral load of the NAT-only cases. Residual risk for HBV in the WP was modelled. Results A total of 45 270 111 donations were evaluated. There were 29 NAT-only cases in the HBsAg-negative HBV-WP, one by ID-NAT and 28 by MP-NAT. MP-NAT, on average, showed higher sensitivity than HBsAg testing: MP-NAT-LoD of 146 IU/ml vs. 362 IU/ml HBV DNA for positive HBsAg detection (range 135-1502 IU/ml), resulting in 3·1 days (range 2·0-4·8 days) earlier HBV detection. Viral loads of the NAT-only cases confirmed the sensitivity of the HBV tests in the seroconversion study. One HBsAg-negative case was due to a new HBsAg mutant combination. There was one HBsAg-reactive only case. In addition, HBV incidence in the HBV-WP included 41 HBsAg-/HBV-NAT-positives and three HBV transmission cases. The residual risk for HBsAg was estimated to be 1:1 619 419-1 268 474 compared to 1:2 793 365-2 134 702 for MP-NAT. Within chronic HBV (HBsAg-/anti-HBc-positive and MP-NAT-negative) 70% were ID-NAT positive at low viral load (median 20 IU/ml). Among anti-HBc-only, supplementary ID-NAT detected 23 occult HBV infections. Conclusions In the HBV-WP, MP-NAT provided a higher sensitivity than HBsAg testing, obtained a considerably higher yield and reduced the risk for HBV transmission. In later HBV stages, anti-HBc screening and HBV-ID-NAT intercepted potentially infectious donations.

Objective: The aim of this study was to describe the characteristics of blood donors and the serological profile of the blood donations at the blood bank of the University Hospital Polydoro Ernani de São Thiago of the Federal University of Santa Catarina from January 2011 to December 2016. Methods: The characteristics of donors and the serological results of the donated blood were compiled from databases. Only donations with a negative serology or a positive serology confirmed by second-sample testing were included in the study. Results: A total of 14,368 donations were included in the study, of which 118 (0.8%) had a confirmed positive serology. Of the total donations, 94.3% were from spontaneous donations and 5.7% from replacement donation. Donations were predominantly from men (54.1%), individuals aged 18 to 29 years (69.1%), and repeat donors (47.7%). Detection rates were higher for HBV (0.63%), followed by syphilis (0.13%), HIV (0.05%), HCV (0.02%), and Chagas disease (0.01%). With the exception of HIV, positive results were more frequent in the older age groups. Positive results for HBV, HCV, and HIV were more frequent among first-time donors. Replacement donations were more likely to have HBV (OR 7.7; 95% CI 4.9–12.1, p

Introduction: In Burkina Faso, screening for hepatitis C virus in blood donations is made using sensitive ELISA (Enzyme Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay) type kits. However, no confirmation of the positive results obtained with these kits is made before their notification to the blood donors due to the high costs of the confirmation kits of immunoblots type. Objective: Evaluate two rapid kits against one immunoblot kit in order to determine the most efficiency which will be proposed as an alternative for the confirmation of ELISA tests in the socio-economic context of Burkina Faso. Material and Methods: The study was carried out using a panel of 72 sera, of which 22 were positive for anti-HCV antibodies and 50 were negative. The sera were tested using the Monolisa® HCV Ag-Ab ULTRA kit and confirmed with the DECISCAN HCV Plus kit. The panel was then tested with the SD BIOLINE HCV kit and the HCV TRI-DOT kit and the results obtained were evaluated against those of the DECISCAN HCV Plus kit used as “gold standard”. Results: Compared to the DECISCAN HCV Plus kit, the HCV TRI-DOT kit exhibited a sensitivity and specificity of 100% and the SD BIOLINE HCV kit a sensitivity of 86.36% and a specificity of 100%. Conclusion: Based on the results recorded by the HCV TRI-DOT kit, it would be best suited to the sero-epidemiological context of blood donors from the National Blood Transfusion Center and could be proposed as an alternative for confirmation of ELISA tests.

This paper investigates the impact of monetary incentives on whole blood donations. We take advantage of a quasi-natural experiment in Germany, in which one blood donation site changes its payment scheme from remunerated to non-remunerated. All other donation sites maintain their payment schemes. We show that donation volumes drop significantly after the pay drop and do not recuperate. At the same time, donation volumes increase at other paid donation sites, which is partly due to donor migration to these sites. We do not find any impact of the changed payment scheme on blood quality. Our results offer additional insight into the complex question whether it is efficient to ensure blood supply by paying donors a direct monetary compensation.

Background The rate of viral infections in donated bloods is one of the main indicators of blood safety which has to be monitored precisely. This paper provides a thorough study of blood safety indicators in the last 15 years in Iran. Methods The data of the transfusion organization in Iran from years 2003 to 2017 were used. The study focuses on the analysis of the frequency of viral hepatitis B and C (HBV and HCV) as well as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in blood donations. Results Of 27,442,124 donated bloods, the relative frequencies were 4, 302, and 81 for HIV, HBV and HCV, respectively. This study also shows that the corresponding frequencies were significantly lower in recent years (2.5, 53, and 26 per 100,000 samples in 2017). Conclusion The presented study indicates an overall low infection rate and provides evidence for the effectiveness of modern safety measures in improving the level of blood safety in Iran.

BACKGROUND Babesia is an intraerythrocytic parasite responsible for hundreds of cases of transfusion-transmitted babesiosis in the past 50 years. In May of 2020, blood testing for Babesia was implemented at the American Red Cross (ARC) for all donations in endemic areas of the northeastern and midwestern regions of the United States. METHODS Between May 2020 and May 2021, 1,816,669 donations from 13 states and DC were tested for Babesia by the ARC. Testing was performed in pools of 16 whole blood lysates using a licensed nucleic acid test (NAT) targeting Babesia 18S rRNA. Reactive donations were tested for B. microti antibody by immunoglobulin G immunofluorescence. Suspected cases of transfusion-transmitted babesiosis (TTB) were investigated if reported. RESULTS The first 13 months of Babesia screening identified 365 NAT-reactive donations. Antibodies for B. microti were detected in 79% (287) of reactive donations; negative serology samples were prevalent between May and July. Follow-up donations were collected from 142 donors, and 86% (122), collected up to 74 days after index, remained NAT reactive. Reactive donations were mainly collected in MA (77), CT (68), NY (49), NJ (47), and PA (44), but were identified in all states except Delaware. Most reactive blood donors were male (65%) aged between 40 and 80 years. Since the beginning of Babesia testing, no case of TTB was identified. CONCLUSIONS The absence of TTB cases since implementation of Babesia screening for blood donations collected in endemic areas suggests testing is an effective strategy to eliminate TTB.

Background Physicians may be an important source of blood donations as they are more likely to be familiar with the importance of donating and the donation process. The aim of this study is to report physicians' knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards voluntary and non‐voluntary blood donations. Study Design and Methods This was a cross‐sectional study conducted at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (KFSH&RC), Saudi Arabia. One‐hundred‐and‐sixteen physicians and dentists responded to an online structured questionnaire sent to their institutional emails. Results Sixty‐eight percent of participants (79% of males and 43% of females) reported previously having donated blood. Eighty‐six percent of donors had previously donated on a voluntary basis, whereas 31% of donors had previously donated for a specific person. A recent donation within 5 years was associated with the younger age group and knowledge of the minimum interval between donations. Fifty‐six percent of participants agreed with using replacement donations. Compared to participants in the youngest age group (25‐35 years), older participants in the age groups (46‐55 years) and (>55 years) were less likely to express intention to donate in the next 6 months (OR 0.289, P = .022 and OR 0.083, P = .004, respectively). Participants reporting poor nutritional status or other medical reasons as a barrier to donating blood were less likely to intend to donate (OR 0.146, P

Objective This work aimed to establish the effects of the COVID‐19 pandemic on blood collection and blood product usage at the end of the first year. Background The arrival of SARS‐CoV‐2 to Colombia on March 6, 2020, triggered closure of borders and mandatory lockdown from March 23, 2020. Methods/Materials The Colombian National Institute of Health administers the National database of confirmed cases of SARS‐CoV‐2 and the National Haemovigilance System. We examined positive SARS‐CoV‐2 cases identified between March 6, 2020, and March 6, 2021, using positive RT‐PCR testing (72.8%) or reactive antigen (27.2%). We also analysed accepted and deferred donors' information provided by 100% of blood banks and transfused patients notified by 83% of health care facilities nationwide, between March 1, 2019, to February 28, 2021. Results Colombia registered 2 273 245 SARS‐CoV‐2 cases. From these, 60 412 people died from COVID‐19 (2.7%) and 2 172 418 individuals recovered (95.6%). There were 11 659 216 SARS‐CoV‐2 processed samples nationwide. People between the ages of 20 and 39 years concentrated 44.4% of the SARS‐CoV‐2 cases. There were 773 569 blood donations, mainly from a 20‐39‐year‐old population (60.5%). The pandemic caused a reduction of 155 393 blood donations (16.7%) and 51 823 total deferrals (33.7%). An 18.4% drop in volunteer donors and a 37.3% increase in donations from family/replacements members were observed. There were 399 453 transfused patients and 1 179 895 blood components administered (−8.7% and − 13.9% compared to March 2019–February 2020). Conclusion Mandatory lockdowns in Colombia decreased blood collection and usage, resulting in a reduction of blood components transfused to individual patients.

Blood collection has been a crucial procedure for different hospitals and blood banks to obtain blood supply in order to be used in various therapeutic procedures for the patients. Conducting blood collection drives offer access to quality and safe health services given to the patients that need blood. The current situation of the healthcare system is being hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic which made a lot of restriction and limitation to hospitals due to quarantine protocols and social distancing. Blood donation is one of the affected procedures by the COVID-19 and it is the purpose of this study to determine the rates of blood donation in selected hospital-based blood banks of Quezon City during the pandemic crisis. The trends of blood donation between phase 1, phase 2, and phase 3 of the pandemic from November 2019 to February 2020, March 2020 to May 2020, and June 2020 to October 2020 respectively is compared to find changes and effects of the pandemic to health services. This research is focused on the comparative analysis on the data gathered from the blood banks and is used to monitor the trends of blood donation services. The researchers had formulated a consent letter that was reviewed by the ethics committee and was sent to the blood banks for data privacy purposes. A letter requesting for the amount of blood donation per month of specified dates was given to the hospitals. The letter will be accessible online through email for easier access and gathering of data. Those hospitals which agreed to participate in the study and willing to share data will be included in this paper. The collected data was statistically analyzed by using IBM® SPSS® Statistics. Five hospitals were able to participate and give data on the number of blood donations. The analysis showed that most numbers of blood donations happened in phase 1 with 49.54% of the total donations throughout the study while the lowest is in phase 2 which only has 15.2%. The phase 3 period had 35.26% of the total donations which increased from phase 2. Based on the statistical analysis, the result from One way ANOVA proved that there were no significant differences between the 3 phases in the study. The rate of change in blood donation showed a decrease of 69.33% in phase 2 from the total donations in phase 1. On the other hand, phase 3 had a 132.05% increased rate from the total donations in phase 2. In conclusion, blood donation rates were affected based on the quarantine protocol which drastically decreased during phase 2 and increased in phase 3. Other than that, the study found out that donor attendance was also less in the pandemic phase than the pre-pandemic phase because of restrictions and health protocols in hospitals and in public.

Introduction Supplemental data from the 2019 National Blood Collection and Utilization Survey (NBCUS) are presented and include findings on donor characteristics, autologous and directed donations and transfusions, platelets (PLTs), plasma and granulocyte transfusions, pediatric transfusions, transfusion-associated adverse events, cost of blood units, hospital policies and practices, and implementation of blood safety measures, including pathogen reduction technology (PRT). Methods National estimates were produced using weighting and imputation methods for a number of donors, donations, donor deferrals, autologous and directed donations and transfusions, PLT and plasma collections and transfusions, a number of crossmatch procedures, a number of units irradiated and leukoreduced, pediatric transfusions, and transfusion-associated adverse events. Results Between 2017 and 2019, there was a slight decrease in successful donations by 1.1%. Donations by persons aged 16-18 decreased by 10.1% while donations among donors >65 years increased by 10.5%. From 2017 to 2019, the median price paid for blood components by hospitals for leukoreduced red blood cell units, leukoreduced apheresis PLT units, and for fresh frozen plasma units continued to decrease. The rate of life-threatening transfusion-related adverse reactions continued to decrease. Most whole blood/red blood cell units (97%) and PLT units (97%) were leukoreduced. Conclusion Blood donations decreased between 2017 and 2019. Donations from younger donors continued to decline while donations among older donors have steadily increased. Prices paid for blood products by hospitals decreased. Implementation of PRT among blood centers and hospitals is slowly expanding.

Background Human babesiosis is a zoonotic infection caused by an intraerythrocytic parasite. The highest incidence of babesiosis is in the United States, although cases have been reported in other parts of the world. Due to concerns of transfusion-transmitted babesiosis, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended year-round regional testing for Babesia by nucleic acid testing or use of an FDA-approved device for pathogen reduction. A new molecular test, cobas Babesia (Roche Molecular Systems, Inc.), was evaluated for the detection of the four species that cause human disease, Babesia microti, Babesia duncani, Babesia divergens, and Babesia venatorum. Study design and methods Analytical performance was evaluated followed by clinical studies on whole blood samples from US blood donations collected in a special tube containing a chaotropic reagent that lyses the red cells and preserves nucleic acid. Sensitivity and specificity of the test in individual samples (individual donation testing [IDT]) and in pools of six donations were determined. Results Based on analytical studies, the claimed limit of detection of cobas Babesia for B. microti is 6.1 infected red blood cells (iRBC)/mL (95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.0, 7.9); B. duncani was 50.2 iRBC/mL (95% CI: 44.2, 58.8); B. divergens was 26.1 (95% CI: 22.3, 31.8); and B. venatorum was 40.0 iRBC/mL (95% CI: 34.1, 48.7). The clinical specificity for IDT was 99.999% (95% CI: 99.996, 100) and 100% (95% CI: 99.987, 100) for pools of six donations. Conclusion cobas Babesia enables donor screening for Babesia species with high sensitivity and specificity.

The immediate availability of blood can save other lives in case of emergency needs. Blood transfusion is a continuous demand, as it is widely required for many medical surgeries and critical operations. Therefore, there is a need to manage the whole process of supplying blood from blood donors to the hospitals and transfusion centers as well as matching the blood compatibility between the donors and patients. This comparative study reviews the existing approaches for blood donation and blood assignment management systems which aim to provide a continuous supply of blood products to transfusion centers and hospitals by optimizing the process of blood donations and predicting the future behavior of blood donation. The optimization process of blood donations is based on minimizing the wastage of blood units with regards to expiration. It also aims to reduce the additional importation of blood units from external sources by managing the critical blood shortage levels and monitoring the expiration of blood units. A discussion is proposed in this study as well, to highlight the main findings, limitations, and the unexplored issues of the existing approaches for blood donation management systems. Lastly, a set of suggestions is also presented to address the main limitations of these systems in order to point out alternative perspectives and the potential future work opportunities in the blood donation management domain.

Objectives The rate and trend of transfusion transmissible infections (TTIs) in blood donations from 2012 to 2017 at the Bamenda Regional Hospital Blood Service (BRHBS), Cameroon was assessed. Materials and methods A six-year retrospective study was conducted by reviewing the records of donors. Blood was screened for HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and syphilis. Data was analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 21. Differences in seropositivity rates for the four TTIs were analyzed using Chi2 test or Fisher's exact test where appropriate. Associations between sociodemographic characteristics and the TTIs markers were assessed using multiple logistic regression analysis. Results A total of 12,115 blood donations was included in the study and of these, the overall seropositivity rate of the four conventional TTIs markers was 10.5% (n = 1,273). Of the seropositive cases, 23.8% (n = 303) showed reactivity with at least two of the markers combined. When the markers were assessed individually, HBsAg recorded the highest seropositivity rate (4.7%), followed by anti-HIV and anti-syphilis (2.2%), and then by anti-HCV (1.7%). A significant decrease in the trend of the combined serological markers, HBsAg and anti-syphilis was observed over the years (P ≤ 0.05). Conclusion There is a decrease in seropositivity rates of TTIs markers in this blood service. Ongoing efforts toward the prevention of these infections is encouraged and should be intensified to improve blood safety.

Introdução: A Organização Pan-Americana da Saúde estima que 2,0% da população deveria doar sangue regularmente. Os países da América Latina e Caribe coletam sangue equivalente a 1,5% de sua população, abaixo do preconizado, deixando a oferta para viabilidade transfusional indisponível. Objetivo: Realizar a identificação de anticorpos irregulares (IAI) no plasma de doadores de sangue com relevância clínico-transfusional dos sistemas Rh, KELL, DUFFY, KIDD e MN oriundos dos hemocomponentes descartados de doadores com pesquisa de anticorpos irregulares (PAI) positiva com idade entre 18 e 69 anos, independente de sexo, no Hemocentro do Estado do Amapá. Método: Foi utilizado para a realização dos testes para PAI e IAI o Gel Teste®. A análise estatística realizada foi o teste Qui-quadrado. Resultados: Durante os períodos entre junho de 2009 a janeiro de 2013 (Período I) e setembro de 2016 e março de 2017 (Período II), foram encontradas 144 amostras PAI positivas (0,28%) em 51.985 doações de sangue, porém foi realizado o IAI em apenas 111 amostras (0,21%), tendo como anticorpo mais frequente o anti-D em 26 amostras (22,8%), anti-Kpa em 19 amostras (19,3%), anti-Dia em 18 amostras (15,8%), e outros com menor frequência. Os sistemas Rh e KELL foram os mais frequentes e de grande relevância transfusional, o que corrobora a literatura científica sobre o assunto. Conclusões: Observou-se que bolsas positivas para os testes de PAI são desprezadas, gerando um custo em torno de R$ 163.772,64, visto que os hemocomponentes poderiam ser, em alguns casos, utilizados, o que aumentaria o número de bolsas no estado do Amapá e auxiliaria o serviço de hemoterapia.

Influenza A virus infection has rarely been documented to cause viremia. In 28 blood donations in Brazil that were deferred because of postdonation information, we identified influenza A(H3N2) virus RNA in 1 donation using metagenomic analysis. Our finding implies theoretical risk for viremia and transfusion transmission.

The use of social media is an important strategy to raise public awareness about blood donation, especially in the lockdown during the ongoing COVID-19 scenario The pandemic has caused a sizeable shortage of blood donations across the country WhatsApp is an important communication tool with many unique features We analysed the use of WhatsApp for donor mobilization during the COVID-19 pandemic The results of the study were encouraging with 31 65% donors responding to the WhatsApp message and donated blood Females exhibited a higher degree of response rate (42 25%) as compared to males (25 62%) Further quantitative and exploratory research studies are needed to see the impact of WhatsApp in the retention of these donors

Because of high rates of 2019 novel coronavirus disease in Wuhan, China, Wuhan Blood Center began screening for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 RNA on January 25, 2020. We screened donations in real-time and retrospectively and found plasma samples positive for viral RNA from 4 asymptomatic donors.

Derived from pooled blood donations, polyvalent immunoglobulins are used for post-exposure prophylaxis as one aspect of the public health management of hepatitis A, rubella and measles. This review summarizes the safety profile of these blood products and the current recommendations for their use for the prevention of hepatitis A, rubella and measles among people who have been exposed to these diseases. The current recommendations are drawn from the most recent publicly available national guidelines of the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United Kingdom as accessed in February 2019.

Introduction: Transfusion transmissible infections (TTI) are a major threat for the recipients of blood and blood products. Voluntary blood donations (VBD) are considered safe to Replacement blood donations (RBD). Our main of the study is to find out the seroprevalence of TTIs in our area and also to find out whether there is a significant difference in seroprevalence of TTIs between VBD and RBD. Materials and Methods: It is a retrospective, cross sectional study carried out in the regional blood bank of a tertiary care centre. Records of total 33341 blood donations carried out in a period of 6 years (January 2012 to December 2017) were studied for calculating the seroprevalence of HIV, HBsAg, HCV and Syphilis. Comparison of seroprevalence between VBD and RBD was done. Results: Predominant donor population was male (91.86%). 91.63% donations were VBD and 8.37% donations were RBD. Most common type of TTI was HBsAg (85.9%) followed by HIV (6.72%), HCV (4.98%) and Syphilis (2.38%) respectively. The difference in seroprevalence of TTIs between VBD and RBD was statistically significant (p value Conclusion: There is seen statistically significant difference in seroprevalence of TTIs between VBD and RBD suggesting RBD are at more risk for transmitting TTIs than VBD. Hence we recommend regular, non-remunerated, voluntary blood donations for assuring better safety and quality of blood and blood products. Keywords: Seroprevalence, Transfusion transmissible infections, Voluntary blood donations, Replacement bloo.

Background Hepatitis E is a liver disease caused by a small RNA virus known as hepatitis E virus (HEV). Four major genotypes infect humans, of which genotype 1 and 2 (HEV-1, HEV-2) are endemic mainly in Asia and responsible for waterborne epidemics. HEV-3 and HEV-4 are widely distributed in pigs and can be transmitted to humans mainly by undercooked meat, and contact with pigs. HEV-3 is the main genotype in industrialised countries with moderate climate conditions and object of this debate. Main text Whereas an HEV-3 infection in healthy humans is mostly asymptomatic, HEV-3 can induce chronic infection in immunocompromised individuals and acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) in patients with underlying liver diseases. The number of reported cases of HEV-infections in industrialised nations increased significantly in the last years. Since HEV-3 has been transmitted by blood transfusion to other humans, testing of blood donors has been introduced or introduction is being discussed in some industrialised countries. In this article we summarise the arguments in favour of testing all blood donations for HEV-3. Conclusion The number of HEV infection in the population and the possibility of HEV transmission by blood transfusion are increasing. Transmission by blood transfusion can be dangerous for the recipients considering their immunosuppressive status, underlying disease or other circumstances requiring blood transfusion. This argues in favour of testing all blood donations for HEV-3 to prevent transmission.

The stochastic behavior of both transfusion (demand) and blood donations (collection) is a challenge for the blood supply chain. Although donations are not fully within the control of blood supply chain, the blood service can marginally moderate it by postponing appointments in the case of having an overstock, or by triggering a call for additional blood when faced with shortages. Such shortages are often observed as a consequence of catastrophic events. Past studies show that the response to a call for blood after a disaster is substantive. Yet the consequential impact on the supply chain is not well understood. This is due to the perishability of blood and the fact that donors are not eligible to give blood for a certain period after a donation has been made. In this study, the donation process is modeled with a Markov chain and the impact of a call for blood resulting from a disaster is investigated. This article highlights new actionable insights that aid planners to mitigate the negative impacts of a substantial response to a call for blood.

Introduction: Donating blood is a generous life-saving gift. It is important to take care of blood donors as health care aspect. Vasovagal reactions occur in 2-5% blood donations. The orthostatic effects superimposed on a hypovolemic state after the donation. Hence this study may become reference base for the protocol. Objective: To compare orthostatic hypotension without and with various physiologic strategies to prevent fainting responses before and after whole blood donation. Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted from July 2016 to Feb 2017.200 voluntary blood donors were included. They were divided into four groups A, B, C, D. (50 each) Group A as controls (without physiology strategies), group B (Salt water was given), group C (Lower body muscle tension was advised and group D (Both the strategies are applied). Orthostatic hypotension was measured before and immediately after blood donation, 5 minutes, 10 minutes and 15 minutes after blood donation. Results: There was orthostatic hypotension after blood donation, with and without physiologic strategies compared to before blood donation. There was decline in number of donors getting orthostatic hypotension after applying these physiologic strategies compare to without any physiologic strategies. Number of blood donors with orthostatic hypotension was more immediately after blood donation compare to after 5, 10 and 15 minutes after blood donation but improvement was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Physiologic strategies may be advised to prevent fainting responses but need further studies to consider as protocol & compulsory and it is better to advice rest for minimum of 15 minutes. Keywords: Orthostatic hypotension, Blood donation, Physiologic strategies, Salt water supplementation, Lower body muscle tension.

Background: Fourth generation HIV assays, which detect both HIV p24 antigen and HIV antibodies are widely used in HIV screening. The combination of markers enables the fourth generation assays to shorten the window of detection, which is important in real-world testing scenarios. The Elecsys® HIV Duo assay is a fourth generation assay, which provides an overall result based on both the detection of the p24 antigen and HIV antibodies, and lists the sub-results for the antibody and antigen units. Objectives and study design: The performance of the Elecsys® HIV Duo assay was assessed at five international centres and compared with other available fourth generation assays. Results: The specificity of the Elecsys® HIV Duo assay in 13,328 blood donor samples was 99.87% (95% confidence interval [CI] 99.80–99.93) and was 100% (95% CI 99.63–100) in 1000 routine diagnostic samples. Sensitivity was assessed in 139 seroconversion panels; the Elecsys® HIV Duo assay detected a greater number of positive samples/number of bleeds compared with other assays investigated. An individual analysis of those seroconversion panels also shows that the Elecsys® HIV Duo assay compared to other fourth generation assays detected HIV up to 2 days earlier than other assays. The Elecsys® HIV Duo assay also detected 125/130 ‘early seroconversion’ samples assessed, which was greater than the number detected with comparator fourth generation assays. Conclusion: These results indicate that the Elecsys® HIV Duo assay is appropriate for use in the diagnosis of HIV and for screening of blood donations and is sensitive for the early detection of HIV.

To analyze the risk and reason of false-negative HBV DNA results of NAT reagents among blood donations of China and discuss the necessity of two amplification targets for HBV DNA tests among donations. In this study, samples that showed discordant results on two commercially available assay platforms were further detected by established in-house methods based on conserved regions of the HBV genome. The HBV concentration of these samples was determined using two commercially available reagents. The samples with high titers of HBV were detected by an in-house method. The samples showing high Ct differences between two regions in the in-house method were further sequenced and aligned with primers and probes. The results showed that the established method has a good detection performance. The mismatch between reverse primers and sample sequences led to decreased detection capacity of S and C regions by the in-house method, but it could be compensated by another region. Among the false-negative samples detected by commercial reagents, most were because of low titers; however, there were 7 samples with HBV DNA concentrations much higher than the LOD of the commercial reagents, which may be due to mismatch of the primer or probe. This study highlights the potential risk of HBV false-negative detection by commercial NAT reagents. The dual-target assay may be helpful for HBV screening and reduce the risk of false-negative detection.

The aim of this paper was to conduct a descriptive study of the Kiss nightclub fire associated to a literature review in order to synthesize data regarding the logistics employed in the mass disaster management. A discussion comparing the scientific evidence and data from the Kiss nightclub case is presented. This paper focuses on the following aspects: role and importance of the media, management of donations, and coordination of the humanitarian logistics. In the case herein analyzed, the humanitarian response was considered adequate, especially in the survivors’ care. An efficient coordination strategy was adopted, and the media played a vital role requesting blood donations. Further research and case studies in the area of logistics are needed to achieve more effective responses in mass disasters.