Africa continues to suffer severe shortages of blood and plasma

 Blood and plasma are in short supply in Africa, partly due to the insistence, by the WHO and others, that  blood and plasma be supplied domestically from unpaid donors. (Much of the world buys blood plasma from the United States, where donors can be paid.)

Here's an update from the Lancet:

The status of blood supply in sub-Saharan Africa: barriers and health impact, by Lucy Asamoah-Akuoko Bernard Appiah  Meghan Delaney  Bridon M'baya  Claude Tayou Tagny  Imelda Bates Published:June 13, 2023DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(23)01164-9

"Sub-Saharan African countries continue to struggle with chronic, year-round blood shortages, limiting their ability to support patients and deliver on the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).1 Most blood recipients in sub-Saharan African countries are children and women around the time of childbirth,2 so achieving the health-related SDGs depends on blood and blood product availability to reduce maternal mortality, end preventable deaths of newborn babies and children younger than 5 years, and achieve universal health coverage. Blood shortages in sub-Saharan Africa can have devastating consequences. An estimated 70% of 287 000 pregnancy-associated deaths in the world in 2020 occurred in sub-Saharan African countries,3 predominantly due to obstetric haemorrhage. Insufficient blood supply for transfusion contributes substantially to such maternal deaths in hospitals in sub-Saharan Africa.4 Blood transfusions are also essential for managing sub-Saharan Africa's high rates of traffic accidents5 and childhood anaemia, which is commonly due to infections such as malaria, helminthiasis, and haemoglobinopathies. Sub-Saharan Africa is home to more than 75% of the 300 000–400 000 babies born each year globally with sickle cell disease;6 blood shortages contribute to 50–90% of these children dying before their fifth birthday.7

...

"But there are several barriers to achieving an adequate and sustainable blood supply in sub-Saharan Africa. The average number of blood donations across the WHO African region is less than 6 units per 1000 population, with some countries such as Cameroon, Eritrea, and Madagascar collecting less than two units per 1000 population.8 Insufficient blood supply in sub-Saharan African countries is due to many factors, including inadequate organisation, regulation, and coordination of national blood services, and challenges with geographical distribution of blood for transfusion. There are also cultural barriers and stigma associated with knowing HIV status9 that deter some voluntary blood donors, compounded by inefficient donor recruitment programmes, and inadequate funding and sustainable financing models for blood services. Several sub-Saharan African countries including Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, and Uganda, built their national blood transfusion services on the back of HIV funding from donor agencies such as President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and the EU, but this funding has reduced considerably.

...

"WHO recognises three types of blood donors: voluntary non-remunerated blood donors (VNRBD); family replacement blood donors (FRD) who donate blood for family members, friends or acquaintances; and paid donors. In high-income countries such as Denmark and the UK, the use of VNRBD ensures reliability of adequate national blood supply. In the WHO Africa region, the number of VNRBD increased from 1·89 million in 2008 to 3·42 million in 2018 (increasing total donations from 2·41 million units to 4·46 million units).11 Despite this, donations from VNRBD are unable to meet the demand for blood in many sub-Saharan African countries. For example, of 21 sub-Saharan African countries with more than 80% VNRBD, only five (Botswana, Mauritius, Namibia, South Africa, and Eswatini) have met the minimum blood requirement of 10 units per 1000 population2—a target that, although globally adopted, is not based on robust evidence.12 Paid donors have a lower safety profile as compared with VNRBD and do not contribute to achieving adequate an cd safe blood supply.13"

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And here is reference 13, a WHO pamphlet published in 2010 calling on all donations to achieve self sufficiency in unpaid blood donation

13. WHO, 2010, "Towards 100% voluntary blood donation: a global framework for action"  

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Earlier:

Monday, May 18, 2020

Plasma and plasma products (such as antibodies) are a big business (and the U.S. dominates the international market)