Blood donation practices, processing and utilisation of blood components in government tertiary hospitals in Nigeria: a multicentre cooperative study.

BACKGROUND: Timely access to safe blood and blood components is still a challenge in Nigeria. This study aimed to determine blood donation practices, processing and utilization of blood components across government tertiary hospitals (THs) in Nigeria. METHODS: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study done in Nigeria in June-July 2020. Data were analysed with SPSS version 21.0. RESULTS: Data were collected from 50 THs. The majority (68%) of the THs lack facilities for blood component preparation and only 18% and 32% provide cryoprecipitate and platelet concentrate, respectively. Whole blood was most commonly requested (57.04%). All facilities tested blood for HIV, HBV and HCV, but the majority (23 [46%]) employed rapid screening tests alone and nucleic acid testing was not available in any hospitals. The manual method was the most common method of compatibility testing in 90% (45/50) and none of the THs routinely perform extended red cell typing. The average time to process routine, emergency and uncross-matched requests were a mean of 109.58±79.76 min (range 45.00-360.00), 41.62±25.23 (10.00-240.00) and 11.09±4.92 (2.00-20.00), respectively. CONCLUSION: Facilities for blood component preparation were not widely available. Concerned government authorities should provide facilities for blood component preparation.

Acceptance of Umbilical Cord Blood as an Alternative to Adult Blood Transfusion by Pregnant Women in Makurdi; Nigeria

BACKGROUND.Inadequate supply of safe blood has been a source of worry to health facilities in Nigeria. One way of addressing this is problem is to consider the use of Umbilical Cord Blood (UCB) as an alternative to adult blood for the purpose of blood transfusion. This will only be possible if we accept this alternative.OBJECTIVES.The objective of this study was to determine the acceptance of UCB as an alternative to adult blood transfusion by pregnant women in Makurdi; North central; Nigeria.METHODS.With the use of structured questionnaire; information on socio-demography; acceptance of UCB as an alternative to adult blood; and factors responsible for rejecting UCB were collected from 302 pregnant women attending the antenatal clinic of Benue State University Teaching Hospital; Makurdi. Data generated was analyzed with Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 19. RESULTS.The median age of the respondents was 29 years. Majority was Tiv (84.2%); Civil servants (45.3%); Christians (95.1%); and 62.4% had tertiary education. Twenty-one percent of the women were willing to accept UCB as an alternative to adult blood transfusion. Twenty percent were willing to accept UCB for their babies. The reasons for not willing to accept UCB included; the feeling that UCB is not safe (44.4%); that UCB transfusion is not a usual practice (34.9%); the feeling that UCB may be injurious to their health (12.7%) and that UCB transfusion is against their faith (8.0%).CONCLUSION.Acceptance of UCB as an alternative to adult blood transfusion by pregnant women in Makurdi is low. The major reasons for rejecting UCB was the feeling that cord blood is not safe for transfusion and that it was not a usual practice. For a successful establishment of cord blood banking in Makurdi; massive public awareness program will have to be instituted to deal with the misconceptions surrounding UCB transfusion

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Voluntary Blood Donation among Healthcare Workers at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria.

Introduction. Adequate and safe blood supply has remained a challenge in developing countries like ours. There is a high dependency on family replacement and remunerated blood donors in our environment which carries an attendant increased risk of transfusion transmissible infection. Objectives. The objectives of this study were to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of voluntary blood donation among healthcare workers (nonphysicians) and to identify and recruit potential voluntary blood donors. Methodology. This was a cross-sectional descriptive study carried out at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City. A total of 163 staffs were recruited. Pretest questionnaires were used to assess their knowledge, attitude, and practice of voluntary blood donation. Statistical Analysis. The responses were collated and analyzed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 16. The association between blood donation practice and gender of respondents, category of staff, and level of education was tested using Chi-square and Fisher's tests where appropriate. P < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results. The median age of the respondents was 32 years (18-56) with females accounting for 55.6% (90). A total of 74.8% (122) attained tertiary education, and 55.8% (91) of respondents were senior staffs. The majority has good knowledge and positive attitude towards donation; however, only 22.1% (36) have donated blood with 41.7% (15) of these being voluntary. Male workers were more likely to donate (P < 0.05). There is no significant association between blood donation and level of education. Conclusion. There is a strong disparity between the knowledge, attitude, and practice of voluntary donation amongst healthcare workers.

The epidemiological features of lymphoid malignancies in Benin City, Nigeria: a 15 years study.

INTRODUCTION: Lymphoid malignancies compose a wide spectrum of different morphologic and clinical syndromes known to vary widely throughout the world. The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence and time trends of lymphoid malignancies. METHODS: A 15 (May 1st 1996-April 30th 2010) years study of all patients who had lymph node biopsy at the Department of Haematology and Pathology, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria. RESULTS: The 391 patients had a male preponderance (M:F; 1.6:1). An increase in the lymphoid malignant cases was noted from 95 cases in the first 5-year interval (1996-2000) to 179 cases in the last 5-year interval (2006-2010) giving an average increase of 84.0%. Non-Hodgkins lymphoma (61.1%) and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (18.2%) were the most frequent followed by Hodgkin's lymphoma and myeloma with equal proportions of 9.0% each. A positive correlation with a significant linear trends was obtained (r=0.1949, p<0.0001). Geographic areas at risk were found mainly in patients residing in Delta State (67.0%) which is a major oil producing state and Edo State (30.4%) where the hospital is located, both in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria. CONCLUSION: Future research into environmental agents and genetic makeup/HLA typing of patients can be carried out.

Co-existence of TB and adult haematological cancers in Benin City, Nigeria.

Tuberculosis is an ancient human scourge that continues to be an important public health problem worldwide. As impaired immunity is closely associated with the pathogenesis of TB, an increase in the incidence of the disease among patients with cancer is anticipated. A total of 20 cases of haematological cancers co-existing with TB in a tertiary hospital in an African setting between January 2005 and September 2008 were analysed. Clinico-pathologic profiles, types of TB infection and outcome were noted. The incidence of TB in patients with haematological malignancies was 3.4%. Lymphoma and leukaemia were the most common malignancies associated with TB. With the high incidence of such cases we recommend the exclusion of an active disease prior to the initiation of cancer therapy. Chemoprophylaxis might be indicated in TB endemic areas.