New research: High risk of malaria transmission after blood transfusions in sub-Saharan Africa

(Burness) A new study suggests that in high transmission areas of sub-Saharan Africa, nearly one in four blood bank supplies contain the parasites that cause malaria. Additional research, focusing on the blood supply of Equatorial Guinea's capital, Malabo, found slightly higher levels of latent malaria infection, most of it -- more than 89 percent -- at a level that commonly used diagnostic technology cannot detect. Both studies were presented at the 7th Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM) Pan African Malaria Conference in Dakar, Senegal.
Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases - Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news