As India grapples with a persistent blood donation deficit, experts have advocated for the mandatory implementation of Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT) to enhance the safety of patients in need given that the rate of infections is higher in replacement donors.
NAT is an additional blood safety measure in addition to ELISA screening method as it directly detects the genetic material (RNA & DNA) of the infecting organism or viruses namely HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C in reducing their window periods.
On the National Voluntary Blood Donation Day marked on October 1, the experts also stressed on an urgent call to raise awareness about the importance of blood donation and the pressing need for voluntary contributions.
“Voluntary blood donation has seen growth, yet we still have a significant gap in meeting national demand,” said Dr RishiRaj Sinha, Transfusion Medicine Specialist at AIIMS Delhi. Anubha Taneja Mukherjee, Member Secretary of the Thalassemia Patient Advocacy Group, emphasised that many people are unaware of the urgent need for blood, which affects their motivation to donate.
Despite a potential donor base of 402 million people, India consistently falls short of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommendation of 1 per cent of the population donating blood.
India requires approximately 14.6 million units of blood annually but faces a shortfall of around one million units. This gap is attributed largely to myths and misconceptions about blood donation, particularly concerns over contracting infections like HIV, as well as a general lack of awareness about the needs of patients requiring regular transfusions, said the medicos.
To address the safety concerns surrounding blood supply, especially for patients needing frequent transfusions like those suffering with blood disorders such as hemophilia and thalassemia, experts favoured the NAT.
For instance, thalassemia patients often need transfusions every 15 to 20 days. “This (NAT) highly sensitive testing method can detect even minute amounts of viruses in donated blood, significantly improving the safety of transfusions,” said Dr Sinha. He explained that while all donated blood undergoes testing, NAT offers a crucial enhancement by reducing the risk of transmitting infections such as HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C through early detection.
VK Khanna, Director of the Institute of Child Health Preeti Tuli Thalassemia Unit at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi too agreed that implementing NAT testing would particularly benefit patients with conditions requiring regular transfusions, such as thalassemia, sickle cell disease, and cancer.
