BACKGROUND In 2011 and 2013, the National Blood Collection and Utilization Survey (NBCUS) revealed declines in blood collection and transfusion in the United States. The objective of this study was to describe blood services in 2015. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS The 2015 NBCUS was distributed to all US blood collection centers, all hospitals performing at least 1000 surgeries annually, and a 40% random sample of hospitals performing 100 to 999 surgeries annually. Weighting and imputation were used to generate national estimates for units of blood and components collected, deferred, distributed, transfused, and outdated. RESULTS Response rates for the 2015 NBCUS were 78.4% for blood collection centers and 73.9% for transfusing hospitals. In 2015, 12,591,000 units of red blood cells (RBCs) (95% confidence interval [CI], 11,985,000‐13,197,000 units of RBCs) were collected, and 11,349,000 (95% CI, 10,592,000‐11,747,000) were transfused, representing declines since 2013 of 11.6% and 13.9%, respectively. Total platelet units distributed (2,436,000; 95% CI, 2,230,000‐2,642,000) and transfused (1,983,000; 95% CI, 1,816,000 = 2,151,000) declined by 0.5% and 13.1%, respectively, since 2013. Plasma distributions (3,714,000; 95% CI, 3,306,000‐4,121,000) and transfusions (2,727,000; 95% CI, 2,594,000‐2,859,000) in 2015 declined since 2013. The median price paid per unit in 2015—$211 for leukocyte‐reduced RBCs, $524 for apheresis platelets, and $54 for fresh frozen plasma—was less for all components than in 2013. CONCLUSIONS The 2015 NBCUS findings suggest that continued declines in demand for blood products resulted in fewer units collected and distributed Maintaining a blood inventory sufficient to meet routine and emergent demands will require further monitoring and understanding of these trends.

INTRODUCTION The National Blood Collection and Utilization Survey (NBCUS) has demonstrated declines in blood collection and transfusion in the United States since 2008, including declines of 11.6% in red blood cell (RBC) collections and 13.9% in RBC transfusions during 2013‐2015. This study described the 2017 NBCUS results. METHODS The 2017 NBCUS was distributed to all US blood collection centers, all hospitals performing at least 1000 surgeries annually, and a 40% random sample of hospitals performing 100 to 999 surgeries annually. Weighting and imputation were used to generate national estimates for units of blood and components collected, deferred, distributed, transfused, and outdated. RESULTS Response rates for the 2017 NBCUS were 88% for blood collection centers and 86% for transfusing hospitals. Compared with 2015, the number of RBC units collected during 2017 (12,211,000; 95% confidence interval [CI], 11,680,000‐12,742,000) declined by 3.0%, and transfused RBC units (10,654,000, 95% CI, 10,314,000‐10,995,000) declined by 6.1%. Distributed platelet (PLT) units (2,560,000; 95% CI, 2,391,000‐2,730,000 units) increased by 5.1%, and transfused PLT units (1,937,000, 95% CI, 1,794,000‐2,079,000) declined by 2.3%. Distributed plasma units (3,209,000; 95% CI, 2,879,000‐3,539,000) declined by 13.6%, and transfused plasma units (2,374,000; 95% CI, 2,262,000‐2,487,000) declined by 12.9%. CONCLUSION The 2017 NBCUS suggests a continued but slowing decline in demand for RBCs. The decline in blood collection and use will likely continue. Despite decreasing demand and increasing manufacturing costs of blood products, the US blood industry has met the regular and emergent needs of the country.

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BACKGROUND In August 2016, the Food and Drug Administration advised US blood centers to screen all whole blood and apheresis donations for Zika virus (ZIKV) with an individual-donor nucleic acid test (ID-NAT) or to use approved pathogen reduction technology (PRT). The cost of implementing this guidance nationally has not been assessed. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS Scenarios were constructed to characterize approaches to ZIKV screening, including universal ID-NAT, risk-based seasonal allowance of minipool (MP) NAT by state, and universal MP-NAT. Data from the 2015 National Blood Collection and Utilization Survey (NBCUS) were used to characterize the number of donations nationally and by state. For each scenario, the estimated cost per donor ($3–$9 for MP-NAT, $7–$13 for ID-NAT) was multiplied by the estimated number of relevant donations from the NBCUS. Cost of PRT was calculated by multiplying the cost per unit ($50–$125) by the number of units approved for PRT. Prediction intervals for costs were generated using Monte Carlo simulation methods. RESULTS Screening all donations in the 50 states and DC for ZIKV by ID-NAT would cost $137 million (95% confidence interval [CI], $109–$167) annually. Allowing seasonal MP-NAT in states with lower ZIKV risk could reduce NAT screening costs by 18% to 25%. Application of PRT to all platelet (PLT) and plasma units would cost $213 million (95% CI, $156–$304). CONCLUSION Universal ID-NAT screening for ZIKV will cost US blood centers more than $100 million annually. The high cost of PRT for apheresis PLTs and plasma could be mitigated if, once validated, testing for transfusion transmissible pathogens could be eliminated.

Introduction: In March 2014, Brazil began its national HPV immunization campaign targeting girls ages 9-13. Objective: Describe determinants of parental decisions to vaccinate their daughters against HPV.Method: In this qualitative study, thirty semi-structured interviews were conducted at five health posts in São Paulo, Brazil. Interview questions explored parental opinions of disease prevention methods, vaccines in general, and the HPV vaccine. Interviews were analyzed using grounded theory. Results: Overall, parental knowledge about HPV and the vaccine was low, yet most eligible daughters had been vaccinated. Parents perceived the HPV vaccine to be normal, preventative, and protective. Parents viewed themselves as accountable for their children’s health, and saw the vaccine as a parenting tool for indirect control. Trust in healthcare professionals and an awareness of the dangers of “nowadays” (uncertainties regarding disease and sexual behavior) were also important in vaccine decision-making. These factors held more explanatory power for decisions to vaccinate than parental knowledge levels. This was the first study to qualitatively examine the perception of publically provided HPV vaccination among parents with eligible daughters in Brazil. The findings help interpret the greater than 90% coverage for the first HPV vaccine dose in Brazil. The results indicate that attempts to understand, maintain, or modify vaccination rates require the consideration of context specific factors, which influence both parent perspectives and vaccination decisions. Conclusion: HPV knowledge levels are not predictive of parental decisions to vaccinate daughters. Context specific factors from the sociocultural dimensions of parenting, sexuality, gender, and the healthcare system are more influential in vaccine decision-making.

Knowledge and attitude played secondary roles in influencing HPV vaccine verification. Community health agents were crucial for vaccine promotion; continued education and support of this group is essential for the sustained success of HPV immunization efforts in Brazil.