Prevalence and Risk Factors of Transfusion-Transmitted Malaria in Blood Donors and Recipients: A Study in the Dschang Health District, Cameroon

Abstract

Malaria is a parasitic disease caused by Plasmodium, primarily transmitted to humans through the bite of an Anopheles mosquito. Blood transfusion is a vital and indispensable therapy in the management of patients within healthcare systems. In Africa, blood transfusion is most often used to treat complications related to pregnancy and severe childhood anemia (symptoms of various pediatric infections) but can also be a pathway for the transmission of malaria from a donor infected with Plasmodium to a healthy recipient. Prophylactic antimalarial treatment is not always administered to recipients. Consequently, children and pregnant women are at risk of severe malaria. This study aims to determine the prevalence and distribution of transfusion-transmitted malaria in the Dschang Health District. It will contribute to improving transfusion safety, particularly regarding the transmission of malaria through blood transfusions. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study with a longitudinal component conducted on transfused blood units/donors and blood recipients in the healthcare facilities of the Dschang Health District. The cross-sectional component focused on blood units/donors and recipients, as well as transfusion procedures. Data were collected using KoboCollect and then analyzed with Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS, Version 20.0). Descriptive statistics, percentages, frequencies, tables, and charts were used to describe the qualitative data collected from donors and recipients. Whole blood is the most commonly transfused product, administered to 95.45% of the recipients. Additionally, the majority of recipients (86.36%) do not use insecticide-treated nets (ITNs). The recruitment services show a predominance of the medicine service (38.64%), followed by intensive care (18.18%) and traumatology (15.91%). This distribution highlights a high prevalence of transfusions among women, young and middle-aged adults, with common blood types and a predominant indication for severe anemia. The study concluded that Malaria prevention is not yet optimal in the Dschang Health District. Preventive measures were effective in only 38.64% of cases. The asymptomatic carriage of Plasmodium among blood donors in the Dschang Health District was 4.76%, a prevalence that could be higher during the heavy rainfall season.