Prevalence of Malaria Among Blood Donors at a Teaching Hospital in Ebonyi State, South East Nigeria

Transfusion-transmitted malaria represents a preventable but underappreciated risk in sub-Saharan African blood bank systems, where high community malaria prevalence in donors creates a reservoir for asymptomatic parasitaemia. This study assesses the prevalence of malaria parasitaemia among blood donors at a Federal Teaching Hospital in Ebonyi State, South East Nigeria. A cross-sectional design was adopted, recruiting 280 consecutive voluntary and replacement blood donors over a four-month period. Thick blood film microscopy was used as the gold standard diagnostic method, supplemented by a rapid diagnostic test for comparison. Donor demographic information, donation history, residential area, recent fever history, and antimalarial drug use were collected through a structured pre-donation screening form. Recent studies from 2020 to 2024 indicate that malaria parasitaemia rates among blood donors in southeastern Nigerian hospitals range from 10 to 40 percent, posing significant transfusion safety concerns. This study aims to determine the proportion of donors harbouring Plasmodium species and compare screening sensitivity between RDT and microscopy. Findings will inform the hospital blood bank management on updating donor screening protocols in line with current WHO and National Blood Transfusion Service guidelines. Keywords: transfusion-transmitted malaria, blood donors, teaching hospital, Ebonyi State, asymptomatic parasitaemia.