Malaria and blood transfusions: A delicate balance in Togo

---

Extract from the article: Malaria and blood transfusions have a complex and vital relationship. In Togo, as in the rest of sub-Saharan Africa, transfusions are both an essential treatment and a potential source of disease transmission. Transfusion is unavoidable in treating..

---

Malaria and blood transfusions have a complex and vital relationship. In Togo, as in the rest of sub-Saharan Africa, transfusions are both an essential treatment and a potential source of disease transmission. Transfusion is unavoidable in treating severe anaemia caused by malaria, particularly in young children. However, the parasite can quickly survive in collected blood. This dual challenge requires constant vigilance and strict protocols to ensure the safety of blood donations.

Malaria, caused by a parasite transmitted by mosquitoes, remains the leading cause of severe anaemia, especially in children under five. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), these children accounted for approximately 76% of malaria deaths in Africa in 2023. This anaemia can be fatal if not treated quickly. Blood transfusion is the treatment of choice to save lives.

However, this procedure carries a risk. If the donor is carrying the malaria parasite, it can be transmitted to the recipient.

In fact, donors and recipients run the same risk of malaria throughout their lives, and both have relatively protective antibodies due to their almost constant contact with the parasite. It would not be efficient to systematically screen all blood donations for the malaria parasite. Nevertheless, for more vulnerable individuals such as children, it is often necessary to protect them during transfusions with preventive antimalarial treatment.

The best way to ensure blood safety is to reduce the incidence of malaria in the population. By strengthening prevention campaigns (mosquito nets, early treatment), the number of potential donors carrying the parasite decreases. According to data from 2024, Togo recorded a 10% decrease in malaria cases, from 286 cases per 1,000 inhabitants in 2023 to 258 in 2024, which is a step forward that must be maintained in order to contribute significantly to transfusion safety.

Encouraging voluntary and regular donations helps to build up a blood reserve in advance of emergencies. This avoids the need for replacement donations, which delay emergency care by reversing the order of things, whereby blood should wait for the patient and not the other way around.