Can another infected blood scandal be averted? (July 2024)

Summary

This editorial in The Lancet Infectious Diseases reflects on the consequences of the infected blood scandal, in which more than 30,000 people in the UK were infected after receiving contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 1980s. It examines the systems in place for blood donation and transfusion in low and middle income countries (LMICs) and argues that the chance of a blood scandal coming to light in LMICs is much higher. This is because blood donations in many LMICs go against the WHO recommendation of national blood systems being based on blood supply from voluntary donors. Instead, they rely heavily on paid-for donations and family or replacement donations, which are unsafe due to the higher prevalence of bloodborne infections.