The forgotten people with thalassemia in the time of COVID-19: South Asian perspective

Hossain, Mohammad Sorowar; Raheem, Enayetur; Siddiqee, Mahbubul H.

doi:10.1186/s13023-020-01543-0

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Challenges included public fear, transport restrictions and staff shortages. These specifically threatened transfusion support to certain patient populations in some institutions, in line with previous reports [ 3 , 23 , 24 , 25 ]. Although cancellations of surgeries were reported to decrease blood demand in the early stages of the pandemic [ 8 , 26 ], most of the participants reported blood shortages.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

International Society of Blood Transfusion survey of experiences of blood banks and transfusion services during the COVID‐19 pandemic

et al. 2022

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Background and Objectives The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic has impacted blood systems worldwide. Challenges included maintaining blood supplies and initiating the collection and use of COVID‐19 convalescent plasma (CCP). Sharing information on the challenges can help improve blood collection and utilization. Materials and Methods A survey questionnaire was distributed to International Society of Blood Transfusion members in 95 countries. We recorded respondents' demographic information, impacts on the blood supply, CCP collection and use, transfusion demands and operational challenges. Results Eighty‐two responses from 42 countries, including 24 low‐ and middle‐income countries, were analysed. Participants worked in national (26.8%) and regional (26.8%) blood establishments and hospital‐based (42.7%) institutions. CCP collection and transfusion were reported by 63% and 36.6% of respondents, respectively. Decreases in blood donations occurred in 70.6% of collecting facilities. Despite safety measures and recruitment strategies, donor fear and refusal of institutions to host blood drives were major contributing factors. Almost half of respondents working at transfusion medicine services were from large hospitals with over 10,000 red cell transfusions per year, and 76.8% of those hospitals experienced blood shortages. Practices varied in accepting donors for blood or CCP donations after a history of COVID‐19 infection, CCP transfusion, or vaccination. Operational challenges included loss of staff, increased workloads and delays in reagent supplies. Almost half of the institutions modified their disaster plans during the pandemic. Conclusion The challenges faced by blood systems during the COVID‐19 pandemic highlight the need for guidance, harmonization, and strengthening of the preparedness and the capacity of blood systems against future infectious threats.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

International Society of Blood Transfusion survey of experiences of blood banks and transfusion services during the COVID‐19 pandemic

et al. 2022

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“…It is noteworthy that the supply of blood has been hampered due to the COVID-19 crisis [ 7 ]. With prolonged lockdown and burdened healthcare, Bangladesh faced an insurmountable challenge to ensure a safe blood supply to critical patients within its existing framework.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge, attitude, and practice towards blood donation among residential students and teachers of religious institutions in Bangladesh – A cross-sectional study

Hossain

Siam

Hasan

et al. 2022

Heliyon

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“…Only 31% of estimated blood demand is met by voluntary blood donors [ 22 ]. Importantly, an unusual situation like the COVID-19 pandemic has put tremendous strain on blood supply and made the lives of thalassaemic children unbearable in South Asia including Bangladesh [ 23 , 24 ]. Apart from on-demand blood transfusion, most thalassaemia patients in Bangladesh cannot afford conservative treatment because of resource-related and financial constraints.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The parental perspective of thalassaemia in Bangladesh: lack of knowledge, regret, and barriers

Hossain

Hasan

Petrou

et al. 2021

Orphanet J Rare Dis

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Background Thalassaemia, a hereditary haemoglobin disorder, is a major public health concern in some parts of the world. Although Bangladesh is in the world’s thalassaemia belt, the information on this disease is scarce. Additionally, the awareness of this life threatening, but potentially preventable disease is surprisingly poor. However, mass awareness is pivotal for the development of an effective preventive strategy. In this context, the understanding of parental perspectives is essential to grasp the magnitude of the problem. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the parental knowledge gaps and perceptions regarding thalassemia, the barriers confronted by the parents for caring for their thalassaemic children and their attitude to prenatal screening and prenatal diagnosis. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted between January 2018 and December 2018 at a dedicated thalassemia hospital located in Dhaka. A structured questionnaire was used for face-to-face interviews with parents of thalassaemic children. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse data. Results Of 365 respondents, nearly all respondents (97%) had not heard about the term, ‘thalassemia’ before the disease was diagnosed in their children; all (100%) were unscreened for carrier status prior to marriage. Mean knowledge scores were significantly higher in respondents with higher income and education. Most respondents (~ 91%) had a guilty feeling for not undergoing premarital screening. Only around 36% of them had heard about prenatal diagnosis. Approximately 25% participants would consider prenatal diagnosis in a future pregnancy, while 70% of them were unsure and only ~ 5% would decline prenatal diagnosis. Only 9.3% mothers had prenatal diagnosis in a previous pregnancy. Nearly 80% of the parents faced difficulty for obtaining blood donors regularly and a similar proportion (~ 81%) of them did not receive support from any organized blood clubs. More than 40% of the parents reported they felt socially stigmatized. Conclusion This study suggests poor parental knowledge regarding thalassaemia including prenatal diagnosis and the challenges faced while caring for their children. These findings would be of paramount importance in planning and devising effective prevention and intervention strategies in Bangladesh as well as other countries with similar sociocultural setting.

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The forgotten people with thalassemia in the time of COVID-19: South Asian perspective

Cited by 10 publications

References 3 publications

International Society of Blood Transfusion survey of experiences of blood banks and transfusion services during the COVID‐19 pandemic

International Society of Blood Transfusion survey of experiences of blood banks and transfusion services during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Knowledge, attitude, and practice towards blood donation among residential students and teachers of religious institutions in Bangladesh – A cross-sectional study

The parental perspective of thalassaemia in Bangladesh: lack of knowledge, regret, and barriers

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