Secondary school students: a safer blood donor population in an urban with high HIV prevalence in east Africa.
We evaluated the enrollment of secondary school students as voluntary unremunerated blood donors in a city where the HIV-1 prevalence among the adult population is 11.8%. Between 1st July, 1992 and 1st December, 1993, consecutive blood donors were screened for anti-HIV-1, TPHA, HBsAg and anti-HBc. Test results were related to age, sex, voluntary or relative donor status. 525 (22.4%) of 2345 were voluntary donors aged 24 years or less and 529 (29.6%) of 1820 of the relative donors were of the same age group. Voluntary donors had statistically significant lower prevalence rates of anti-HIV-1, TPHA, and anti-HBc, 1.5%, 2.1% and 50.2% respectively, compared to relative donors of the same age group, 4.7%, 9.0% and 70.3% respectively. We conclude that secondary school students constituted a safer donor population. The student population offered the additional advantage of being easily accessible for donation and lesser blood units needed to be discarded. For a blood transfusion centre in an urban settlement, recruitment of secondary school students as voluntary unremunerated blood donors should be considered as a cost-effective strategy.
Jacobs
B
B
Bugando Medical Centre, Mwanza, Tanzania.
Berege
Z A
ZA
Schalula
P J
PJ
Klokke
A H
AH
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001782:Blood Donors; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D015528:HIV Seroprevalence; D015497:HIV-1; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D013334:Students; D013587:Syphilis / Q000517:prevention & control; D013636:Tanzania / Q000453:epidemiology; D014504:Urban Health