The Republic of Korea has been using malaria antibody assays to screen blood donors and reduce the risk of transfusion-transmitted malaria (TTM). This study examined the effectiveness of the current malaria antibody test for screening blood donors and calculated the positive predictive value (PPV) with the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) as the reference. The reactive rate and PPV of the malaria antibody screening assay during particular period from 2020 to 2021 were 0.82% (248/30,309) and 0.40% (1/248), respectively. The low PPV of current malaria antibody screening in blood donors suggests that the effectiveness of this test is limited in terms of balancing blood safety and supply in low-prevalence situations.

Background: The purpose of this study was to prepare data for the prevention and management of iron deficiency by analyzing the effects of taking iron supplements provided by blood centers for repeat blood donors. Methods: The high-risk groups with a potential iron deficiency were defined as three or more whole blood donations within the previous year and were provided with iron supplements for three months. Their hemoglobin and ferritin levels were checked up once a month for six months. The effectiveness of the iron supplements was evaluated by analyzing the changes in the initial and monthly hemoglobin and ferritin results. Results: At the time of recruitments, an average 50.4% (40.8% of men and 65.3% of women, respectively) of participants had ferritin levels of less than 15 ng/mL, the World Health Organization iron deficiency standard, but after three months iron supplementation, the results decreased to 10.9% (9.0% of men and 13.8% of women). The ferritin levels increased significantly after taking iron supplements for three months and showed significant increases in both men and women, particularly after two months (P＜0.05). Conclusion The dietary iron supplements containing low-dose iron were effective in preventing iron deficiency in repeat blood donors by increasing the ferritin levels.

Background: The purpose of this study was to prepare data for the prevention and management of iron deficiency by analyzing the effects of taking iron supplements provided by blood centers for repeat blood donors. Methods: The high-risk groups with a potential iron deficiency were defined as three or more whole blood donations within the previous year and were provided with iron supplements for three months. Their hemoglobin and ferritin levels were checked up once a month for six months. The effectiveness of the iron supplements was evaluated by analyzing the changes in the initial and monthly hemoglobin and ferritin results. Results: At the time of recruitments, an average 50.4% (40.8% of men and 65.3% of women, respectively) of participants had ferritin levels of less than 15 ng/mL, the World Health Organization iron deficiency standard, but after three months iron supplementation, the results decreased to 10.9% (9.0% of men and 13.8% of women). The ferritin levels increased significantly after taking iron supplements for three months and showed significant increases in both men and women, particularly after two months (P＜0.05). Conclusion The dietary iron supplements containing low-dose iron were effective in preventing iron deficiency in repeat blood donors by increasing the ferritin levels.