Donor Screening Strategy For Malaria-Deferred Donors

Transfusion transmitted malaria in countries nonendemic for malaria are mostly related to blood donors returning from endemic countries either as short-term travelers or from residents, born or lived in endemic countries. Such donors may present to blood donation centers asymptomatic with low parasitemia. Therefore, a deferral period from blood donation is necessary especially for donors deferred for short-term traveling even if the country has a moderate endemic risk for malaria. Living for 6 months or more in a malaria-endemic area does not preclude blood donation in Germany if they live 4 years or more in a nonendemic country and a validated sensitive test from malaria revealed negative result at the time of donation. For the laboratory investigation of malaria several test methods are available. In this paper we will discuss a reliable strategy to qualify blood donors lived or traveled to malaria endemic countries.