Prevalence of Plasmodial Parasiteamia among Blood Donors in Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

The risk of transfusion of malaria parasite was studied in 500 blood donors in four major hospitals in Lagos, Nigeria. Blood donors within the age range of 18 – 50 were screened for malaria parasite between January and August 2004. Of these 82 (16.4%) were positive for malaria parasite with P. falciparum accounting for 73 (89%) and P. malariae 9 (11%). More males 54 (65.8%) were infected than the female 28 (34%) (P>0.05). The relationship between heamoglobin genotype and infection rate was also determined. Donors with heamoglobin genotype AA were the most infected 113 (47.48%), followed by AC heterologous donors accounting for 40 (27.97%), while the least infected donors were those with hemoglobin genotype AS. This study also gives a fair representative degree of sub clinical infection rate, since donors are usually judged to be healthy. It is therefore recommended that as a duty and routine it is imperative to screen blood for infectious agents, such as malaria parasite before transfusion to avoid malaria infection of otherwise aneamic patients.

Keywords: Plasmodium, Parasitaemia, blood donors, Lagos.

Nigerian Journal of Health and Biomedical Sciences Vol. 6 (2) 2007: pp. 61-63