BACKGROUND
Since 2000, there has been an historic increase in international development assistance, including blood safety projects. The result has been increased blood donations and infectious disease screening in many beneficiary countries. A comprehensive examination of international development assistance for blood safety has yet to be completed.
STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS
This report examines publicly available information, including donor agency websites and databases and data from the 2008 and 2012 World Health Organization Global Database on Blood Safety.
RESULTS
Between 2000 and 2015, from $602.4 million to $2.1 billion in international development assistance was allocated to blood safety programs worldwide, mostly as part of the global response to the human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome epidemic. The US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria were responsible for the majority of blood safety funding, which peaked in 2010 and declined through 2015.
CONCLUSION
Between 2000 and 2015, countries with high burdens of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome received funding and technical assistance to improve national laboratories, increase blood component production, and strengthen clinical practice. Global trends in international development assistance at large, including aid for blood safety, suggest that funding will not rebound.
There still exist many questions in the areas of blood donation and clinical use that are either unanswered or merit further investigation. Given the variable circumstances observed between different countries and geographic regions, it sometimes may be advisable to limit global recommendations in favor of the regionally focused ones.
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