‘Blood from banks safer than blood from relatives, friends’

VADODARA: Voluntary blood donors were found to be safer than replacement blood donors in a recent study conducted at SSG Hospital and GMERS Hospital, Gotri. In a retrospective study of blood banks at tertiary hospitals – SSG Hospital and GMERS Hospital, Gotri – researchers studied the prevalence of HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and syphilis.
The researchers studied blood samples of 27,407 donors who donated blood at these two hospitals during a three-year period between 2011 and 2013.According to the study, the prevalence of the four ailments has shown an increasing trend.
“The policy for blood transfusion was recently reviewed by the government making all the tests mandatory. Earlier the transfusion services were hospital based and fragmented. Replacement donors are usually one time blood donors who donate blood only when a relative or a friend requires blood. This increases the chances of spreading of transfusion transmitted infections since it is on emergency basis,” said researcher Dr Kedar Mehta.
Mehta, who is a faculty member at the department of community medicine at GMERS Hospital, said that during voluntary donations blood promotes a better lifestyle to an extent. “Voluntary donors are aware and motivated. They make sure they are healthy and do not carry infections,” he said.
“During replacement donation tests are performed and it is also safe. But we rely a lot on the donor’s declaration of being healthy,” he added.
The research advocates promoting voluntary blood donation to resolve more than one issue. “Voluntary donation will of course help in reducing the shortage of blood that many health centers currently face. Also, it would help in monitoring and controlling sexually transmitted diseases,” said another researcher Dr Sangita Patel from the department of community medicine at SSG Hospital.
“For a very long time the focus was on the quantity of blood donated and collected in the bank. But it is time that the focus shifts to safe blood donation. The virus has spread further and it has affected more people over the years. We have to confirm that the blood we collect is healthy blood,” Patel added.