FREQUENCY OF MALARIAL PARASITE INFECTION IN HEALTHY BLOOD DONORS OF PAKISTAN

Abstract

Malaria transmission through blood transfusion is although rare but clinically imperative. Certain parts of the world are at high risk of malarial infection that includes African sub-Sahara and South-East Asia. Pakistan falls in the region where prevalence of malaria is very high. Consequently in malaria endemic region like Pakistan, malarial parasite (MP) transmission through transfusion can occur. In this study, 87,600 healthy blood donors were screened for MP. MP was detected using two common methods i.e. peripheral blood morphology and immunochromatographic test (ICT). Out of 87,600 individuals, 38 (0.04%) were found to be infected with MP using peripheral blood microscopy while 32 (0.037%) were found positive by immunochromatographic test. This study concludes that the incidence of MP is low in Pakistani population but its prevalence cannot be neglected especially in blood donors.

Keywords

• Malarial parasite
• transfusion
• perpheral blood morphology
• immunochromatographic test.