This guidance document has been produced by WHO to assist blood services in the development of national plans to respond to any emerging infectious threats to the sufficiency or safety of the blood supply, whether from an existing infectious agent that is changing in incidence and spread, or from a ...newly identified infectious agent. It is intended that this document be followed to guide the national blood service through the process of planning how to respond in a timely, controlled and appropriate way to any specific infectious threat that may subsequently emerge. It is acknowledged that it is not only the blood supply that may be affected by such emerging infectious threats; in those countries undertaking transplantation, the supply of cell, tissues and organs may also be threatened. Increasingly, blood services are taking overall national responsibility for transplantation in their capacity as the organization responsible for the collection, processing, storage and supply of cells, tissues and organs. This approach is both sensible and appropriate, as the overall donor selection and screening processes are the same or very similar. This guidance document can therefore also be used to assist those bodies responsible for the provision of cells, tissues and organs to prepare for an emerging infectious threat.
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This interim guidance to national health authorities and blood transfusion services outlines the steps required to collect convalescent whole blood (CWB) or plasma (CP) from Ebola virus disease (EVD) recovered patients for transfusion to patients with early EVD, as an empirical treatment modality.
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Document contents:
Guidance on donor selection, screening, donation and handling of blood and plasma units;
guidance on transfusion of convalescent whole blood or plasma;
other considerations.
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Maintaining proper storage conditions for health commodities is vital to ensuring their quality. Product expiration dates are based on ideal storage conditions and protecting product quality until their expiration date is important for serving customers and conserving resources. Guidelines for the S...torage of Essential Medicines and Other Health Commodities is a practical reference for those managing or involved in setting up a storeroom or warehouse. The guide contains written directions and clear illustrations on receiving and arranging commodities; special storage conditions; tracking commodities; maintaining the quality of the products; constructing and designing a medical store; waste management; and resources. It was written to meet the needs of district-level facilities; however, the guidelines and information it contains apply to any storage facility, of any size, in any type of environment.
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The new WHO guidelines provide recommended steps for safe phlebotomy and reiterate accepted principles for drawing, collecting blood and transporting blood to laboratories/blood banks.
This clinical job aid provides health care workers with information on how to collect specimens for early infant diagnosis on dried blood spots, as well as drying and packaging for transport.
This job aid provides information for laboratorians about how to receive, process, and store dried blood spot specimens collected for early infant diagnosis, viral load, or drug resistance testing.
The provision of safe and efficacious blood and blood components for transfusion or manufacturing use involves a number of processes, from the selection of blood donors and the collection, processing and testing of blood donations to the testing of patient samples, the issue of compatible blood and ...its administration to the patient. There is a risk of error in each process in this “transfusion chain” and a failure at any of these stages can have serious implications for the recipients of blood and blood products. Thus, while blood transfusion can be life-saving, there are associated risks, particularly the transmission of bloodborne infections.
Screening for transfusion-transmissible infections (TTIs) to exclude blood donations at risk of transmitting infection from donors to recipients is a critical part of the process of ensuring that transfusion is as safe as possible. Effective screening for evidence of the presence of the most common and dangerous TTIs can reduce the risk of transmission to very low levels.
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HIV-1 drug resistance (HIVDR) genotyping is an essential component of the WHO global HIVDR surveillance strategy. Plasma “gold standard” specimen type for HIVDR genotyping, but its use may not be feasible in rural, remote areas in low- and middle-income countries, since preparing and storing it ...require personnel and laboratory infrastructure that are often lacking. An alternative specimen type is dried blood spots (DBS), which can be made without special laboratory processing. DBS are more easily transported than plasma because they can be shipped at ambient temperature as non-hazardous materials using regular mail or courier services.
3rd edition
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External quality assessment (EQA) is an important component of quality systems for blood transfusion services. Establishing external quality assessment programmes for screening of donated blood for transfusion-transmissible infections (TTI): implementation guide aims to support WHO member States in ...establishing and operating EQA programmes for screening donated blood for TTI. The guides has been designed for use by national health authorities and EQA organizing institutions in the development of EQA programme. It will also give participating laboratories an insight into the organization of EQA programmes for TTI screening and an understanding of the benefits of participation.
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