Blood donors in Kenya: a comparison of voluntary and family replacement donors based on a population-based survey

Background and Objectives Blood safety and sufficiency are major challenges in Kenya and other sub-Saharan African countries forcing many countries to rely on family replacement donors (FRD). We analysed data from a national AIDS indicator survey to describe blood donors in Kenya and potential risks of transfusion transmissible infections (TTI) comparing voluntary donors and FRD. Materials and Methods A population-based, cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2007 among 15- to 64- year-olds. Consenting participants were interviewed about blood donation history and were tested for HIV, HSV-2 and syphilis. Results Of the 17 940 people surveyed, 445 (2 center dot 3%) reported donating blood in the prior 12 months. Sixty-four per cent were voluntary donors, and the rest were FRD. Compared to FRD, the majority of voluntary donors were < 25 years old (59% versus 18%), from the highest wealth quintile (57% versus 42%) and single (64% versus 23%). In addition, voluntary donors were less likely to have been sexually active than replacement donors (43% versus 13%). HIV prevalence was lower among voluntary donors than among FRD (2 center dot 6% versus 7 center dot 4%, P-value = 0 center dot 07). Conclusions The majority of blood donors in Kenya are voluntary with lower potential risk of TTI.