Coping with Ebola crisis in transfusion services in West Africa

Background Availability and accessibility to safe blood is challenging in Africa. The 2014 report of the World Health Organization ( WHO ) Regional Office indicates that in 2010, 43 African countries with a population of 813,806,984 collected only 3, 486, 192 units of blood. In West African Countries, home of 340,000,000 inhabitants, the donation rate ranges from 2·4‰ to 7·2‰. Only few countries have well established national blood systems. It is in this context that the Ebola Viral Disease ( EVD ) outbreak started in March 2014. Aim The aim of this study was to describe the status of blood transfusion services ( BTS s) in West Africa in general and particularly in Ebola affected countries, and to analyze their capacity to respond to blood needs during the crisis. Methods Publications, reports and updates posted on websites were reviewed and analyzed to determine whether blood services were equipped to face EVD outbreak. Results Overall, EVD cases were diagnosed in Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone. The number of cases increased dramatically to reach 27,952 reported confirmed, probable and suspected cases, with 11,284 reported deaths by 12 August 2015. Of 16 West African countries, only 6 had well established BTS s. The three most affected countries lacked basic infrastructures, equipment and staff. With the EVD crisis BTS s were disrupted with substantial drop in blood donations Conclusions BTS s in West Africa and particularly in the three Ebola‐affected countries were poorly equipped, uncoordinated and unable to provide safe blood to respond effectively and in timely manner to emergency situations, and to provide Convalescent Plasma for clinical trials.