(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) The sultanate is taking no chances when it comes to malaria prevention. As per new restrictions put in place by the Ministry of Health (MoH) a person who has travelled to a malaria endemic country cannot donate at the Central Blood Bank until he has spent six months in Oman after his return.
The ministry stands to ban those detected with malaria from donating blood in the sultanate. Speaking to Muscat Daily a senior official from the ministry's Department of Blood Services said 'We started this new system around three weeks ago with the aim of making Oman completely malaria-free.'
Normally a person can donate blood in an interval of three months. Now MoH-registered donors can no longer walk into the blood bank after the end of this period. 'They will have to wait if they have travelled back to Oman from any malaria endemic country' she added.
'If a person who has come to Oman from any malaria endemic country does not show symptoms of any fever he/she can donate blood after completing six months' stay here' said the official. In case of fever the person will not be allowed to donate for three years.
'If malaria is detected during MoH tests here that person will be permanently banned from donating blood in Oman.'
The new rule covers people coming from all malaria endemic countries including India Sri Lanka Pakistan the Philippines besides most African countries.
Asked if the new policy would affect blood stocks in the bank she said 'We will monitor the situation for some time and take the next step accordingly.'
Last year Dr Shahnaz al Balushi the then director at MoH's Department of Blood Services had said that blood collected from donors is used for treatment of disorders like thalassaemia and sickle cell disease for cancer patients road accident victims and also during surgical procedures. With advancements in healthcare services there would be a need for more blood she had said.
The World Health Organization has set a target of the year 2020 for all countries to obtain 100 per cent blood supplies from voluntary unpaid donors. The percentage of voluntary donors in Oman was 78 per cent in 2010. MoH aims to take this percentage to 95 by next year.
MALARIA ENDEMIC COUNTRY
Afghanistan
Angola
Azerbaijan
Bangladesh
Benin
Bhutan
Botswana
Brunei
Burkina Faso
Burma
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
China
Cote d'Ivoire
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Djibouti
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Gabon
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
India
Indonesia
Iran
Kenya
Laos
Liberia
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Mali
Mauritania
Mozambique
Namibia
Nepal
Niger
Nigeria
North Korea
Pakistan
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Republic of the Congo
Rwanda
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
South Korea
South Sudan
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Swaziland
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
The Gambia
Timor – Leste
Togo
Turkey
Uganda
Vanuatu
Vietnam
Western Sahara
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe
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