|
|
—from Epidemiological Bulletin,
Vol. 20 No. 2, June 1999—
Blood safety in the Non-Latin Caribbean countries
Transfusion of blood components is used to prevent mortality
associated mostly with severe diseases, surgery, trauma, or complications
of pregnancy and delivery. Safe transfusions depend on the use of blood components
which are not contaminated with infectious agents such as the human immunodeficiency
virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), human T-lymphotropic
virus (HTLV) and, in certain Latin American countries, with Trypanosoma
cruzi.
Safety of blood or its components depends primarily on the
quality of the blood donors. Altruistic, voluntary donors are considered safer,
when compared to the so-called replacement or directed donors. In addition,
to ensure that pathogens with potential to be transmitted through transfusions
are not present in the collected blood, every single unit of blood must be
screened using high quality testing procedures and reagents to prevent the
possibility of false negative results. However, the final measure to prevent
untoward reactions to blood transfusion is the rational use of the appropriate
blood component or product by well trained health personnel.
The following table shows the status of the blood supply
in the Non-Latin Caribbean countries in 1996. Of the 21 countries, only three
countries show that 99-100% of their donors is altruistic. All countries screen
100% of donors for HIV, HBV and syphilis, but only eight out of 19 screen
100% of donors for HCV. Two countries do not provide information concerning
HCV. These figures are an indication that, in the Caribbean countries as in
the rest of the Region of the Americas, there is room for improvement in the
area of promotion of altruistic voluntary donations, as well as for increasing
the number of donors screened for HCV.
| Status of Blood
Supply in the Non-Latin Caribbean by 1996* |
|
Country
|
No. of banks
|
No. of donors
|
Type of donors (%)
|
% of donors screened (prevalence/00)
|
|
Replacement
|
Altruistic
|
HIV 1 & 2
|
HBsAg
|
HCV
|
SYPHILIS
|
|
Anguilla
|
1
|
165
|
90
|
10
|
100 (0)
|
100 (2.0)
|
0
|
100 (0)
|
|
Antigua
|
1
|
695
|
99
|
1
|
100 (<0.1)
|
100 (<0.1)
|
0
|
100 (<0.1)
|
|
Aruba
|
1
|
3,100
|
0
|
100
|
100 (<0.1)
|
100 (<0.1)
|
100 (0)
|
100 (0.3)
|
|
Bahamas
|
3
|
4,962
|
60
|
40
|
100 (0.5)
|
100 (1.5)
|
100 (0.2)
|
100 (0.4)
|
|
Barbados
|
1
|
2,902
|
83
|
12
|
100 (<0.1)
|
100 (0.4)
|
100 (0.3)
|
100 (0.2)
|
|
Belize
|
6
|
1,605
|
86
|
9
|
100 (0.1)
|
100 (4.7)
|
0
|
100 (2.0)
|
|
Bermuda
|
1
|
2,125
|
0.7
|
95
|
100 (0)
|
100 (0)
|
100 (0.1)
|
100 (0)
|
|
B. Virgin Islands
|
1
|
184
|
57
|
43
|
100 (0)
|
100 (0)
|
100 (0)
|
100 (0)
|
|
Cayman Islands
|
1
|
449
|
0
|
99
|
100 (0)
|
100 (0)
|
100 (0.2)
|
100 (0.2)
|
|
Dominica
|
1
|
705
|
91
|
9
|
100 (0.2)
|
100 (1.3)
|
0
|
100 (1.3)
|
|
Grenada
|
1
|
154
|
79
|
20
|
n/a (0.2)
|
n/a (1.6)
|
n/a
|
n/a (0.3)
|
|
Guyana
|
5
|
2,801
|
80
|
20
|
100 (1.5)
|
100 (2.2)
|
0
|
100 (4.8)
|
|
Jamaica
|
1
|
23,900
|
87
|
13
|
100 (0.5)
|
100 (0.9)
|
0
|
100(1.2)
|
|
Montserrat
|
1
|
139
|
100
|
0
|
100 (0)
|
100 (0)
|
0
|
100 (0)
|
|
Curacao
|
1
|
5,696
|
0
|
100
|
100 (0)
|
100 (0)
|
100 (0.01)
|
100 (0.01)
|
|
St Kitts & Nevis
|
1
|
255
|
97
|
2
|
100 (0)
|
100 (3.0)
|
0
|
100 (1.4)
|
|
St. Lucia
|
1
|
2,255
|
35
|
65
|
100 (0.06)
|
100 (1.3)
|
0
|
100 (1.1)
|
|
St. Vincent
|
1
|
1,062
|
97
|
3
|
100 (0.2)
|
100 (1.2)
|
0
|
100 (3.7)
|
|
Surinam
|
1
|
3,950
|
27
|
73
|
100 (0.1)
|
100 (0.8)
|
100 (0.2)
|
100 (0.9)
|
|
Turks & Caicos
|
1
|
134
|
38
|
60
|
100 (2.5)
|
100 (0)
|
0
|
100 (0)
|
|
Trinidad & Tobago
|
5
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
| * Data provided by the participants
in the Regional Meeting on Blood Banking, held at the Caribbean Epidemiology
Center (CAREC) on November 19-21, 1997. n/a: not available |
Updated tables for selected countries of Latin America
| Table 1: Number of Blood
Banks and Donor Characteristics in Selected Countries of the Region of
the Americas, 1996. |
|
Country
|
No. of blood banks
|
No. of donors
|
Fractionation index
|
Remunerated donors (%)
|
Replacement donors* (%)
|
Non-Remunerated donors (%)
|
|
Argentina
|
551
|
745.698
|
…
|
...
|
...
|
...
|
|
Bolivia
|
60
|
40.056
|
…
|
24,0 †
|
69,0 †
|
7,0 †
|
|
Chile
|
162
|
218.291
|
…
|
0,1
|
97,4
|
2,5
|
|
Colombia
|
...
|
127.616 ‡
|
…
|
-
|
...
|
...
|
|
Costa Rica
|
27
|
44.754
|
2,05
|
...
|
...
|
...
|
|
Cuba
|
38
|
605.375
|
1,9 **
|
-
|
5,6
|
94,4
|
|
Ecuador
|
35
|
104.452
|
1,34
|
-
|
83,0
|
17,0
|
|
El Salvador
|
59
|
55.069
|
2,05
|
-
|
71,0
|
29,0
|
|
Honduras
|
41
|
33.958
|
…
|
9,0
|
67,0
|
24,0
|
|
Nicaragua
|
20
|
43.887
|
1,39
|
-
|
64,5
|
35,5
|
|
Panamá
|
22
|
41.888
|
…
|
38,0
|
59,0
|
3,0
|
|
Paraguay
|
35
|
37.843
|
1,0
|
0,05
|
98,0
|
1,95
|
|
Uruguay
|
87
|
116.127
|
1,67
|
-
|
100
|
-
|
|
Venezuela
|
243
|
266.828
|
1,62
|
-
|
100
|
-
|
|
... Data not available; * Usually family
or friends; ** Includes components for industry (i.e plasma and buffy
coats); ‡ Bogota only;
† Data from 1995.
|
| Table 2: Percentage of Donors
with Serology, by Serological Marker, and Prevalence of Serological Markers
for Communicable Diseases in Selected Countries of the Region of the Americas,
1996. |
|
Country
|
V I H
|
V H B 1
|
V H C
|
T. pallidum
|
T. cruzi
|
|
Donors with serology (%)
|
Screening prevalence (%)
|
Confirmed prevalence (%)
|
Donors with serology (%)
|
Screening
prevalence (%)
|
Donors with serology (%)
|
Screening prevalence (%)
|
Donors with serology (%)
|
Screening prevalence (%)
|
Donors with serology (%)
|
Screening prevalence (%)
|
|
Argentina
|
96,0
|
0,30
|
...
|
96,4
|
0,60
|
93,3
|
0,70
|
96,6
|
0,50
|
100
|
3,70
|
|
Bolivia
|
35,3
|
0,014
|
...
|
…
|
…
|
0,0
|
...
|
38,0
|
1,26
|
43,60
|
17,20
|
|
Chile
|
100
|
0,07
|
0,01
|
100
|
0,10
|
100
|
0,60
|
100
|
0,50
|
59,8
|
1,00
|
|
Colombia
|
100
|
0,28
|
...
|
100
|
0,80
|
100
|
1,13
|
100
|
1,31
|
100
|
1,41
|
|
Costa Rica
|
100
|
0,09
|
0,02
|
100
|
0,5
|
100
|
0,29
|
100
|
0,45
|
7,6
|
1,39
|
|
Cuba
|
100
|
…
|
0,004
|
100
|
0,90
|
100
|
1,00
|
100
|
1,20
|
…
|
…
|
|
Ecuador
|
100
|
0,15
|
0,11
|
100 (96,5)2
|
0,41 (3,45)2
|
68,2
|
0,16
|
100
|
0,71
|
91,0
|
0,07
|
|
El Salvador
|
100
|
...
|
0,16
|
100
|
0,47
|
89,6
|
0,30
|
100
|
1,20
|
100
|
2,20
|
|
Honduras
|
97,3
|
0,68
|
...
|
98,0
|
0,53
|
72,2
|
0,44
|
95,7
|
0,62
|
94,9
|
1,67
|
|
Nicaragua
|
99,4
|
0,70
|
0,009
|
96,9
|
0,32
|
65,1
|
0,43
|
98,9
|
1,54
|
55,7
|
0,50
|
|
Panamá
|
100
|
0,06
|
...
|
100
|
0,60
|
89,0
|
0,50
|
100
|
0,40
|
1,8
|
1,14
|
|
Paraguay
|
97,97
|
0,17
|
...
|
97,76
|
0,61
|
15,0
|
0,57
|
65,19
|
3,42
|
98
|
4,01
|
|
Uruguay
|
100
|
...
|
0,13
|
100
|
0,44
|
100
|
0,50
|
100
|
0,62
|
100
|
0,60
|
|
Venezuela
|
100
|
0,27
|
...
|
100 (100)2
|
0,92 (4,53)2
|
100
|
0,75
|
100
|
0,90
|
100
|
0,70
|
| 1 HVB surface antigen; ( )2
HVB anticore antibodies; … Data not available. |
Sources:
- Pan American Health Organization. Blood Bank Situation in the Region of
the Americas, 1996. Epidemiological Bulletin; 18:11-12, 1997.
- Schmunis GA, Zicker F, Pinheiro F, Brandling-Bennett D. Risk for Transfussion-Transmitted
Infectious Diseases in Central and South America. Emerg Inf Dis 4:5-11,
1998.
Return to the Index,
Epidemiological Bulletin , Vol.
20 No. 2, June 1999
|
