The use of rapid diagnostic tests for transfusion infectious screening in Africa: a literature review

Infectious risk associated with blood transfusion remains a major public health challenge in Africa, where prevalence rates of the major transfusion transmissible infections [i.e. Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, HIV and Syphilis] are amongst the highest in the world. Resource-limited blood services often operate with minimal pre-donation screening safeguards, prompting exclusive reliance on laboratory testing to mitigate infectious risk. Transfusion screening with rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) has been adopted in areas that lack the capacity to support the routine use of more sophisticated technologies.
Source: Transfusion Medicine Reviews - Category: Hematology Authors: Source Type: research