Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31131453›Full record

ArticleVox sanguinis2019

Health economic implications of testing blood donors in South Africa for HTLV 1 & 2 infection.

Marion Vermeulen, Karin van den Berg, Wendy Sykes, Ravi Reddy, Charlotte Ingram, Colwyn Poole, Brian Custer

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Vox sanguinis, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
  3. Epidemiology and Clinical Outcomes of HTLV-1: A Comprehensive Narrative Review of Endemic and Nonendemic Regions.The Canadian journal of infectious diseases & medical microbiology = Journal canadien des maladies infectieuses et de la microbiologie medicale · 2026
    Review
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Article
  8. Observational
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Marion VermeulenSouth African National Blood Service, Weltevreden Park, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4383-4526
Karin van den BergSouth African National Blood Service, Weltevreden Park, South Africa.
Wendy SykesSouth African National Blood Service, Weltevreden Park, South Africa.
Ravi ReddySouth African National Blood Service, Weltevreden Park, South Africa.
Charlotte IngramSouth African Bone Marrow Registry, Cape Town, South Africa.
Colwyn PooleSouth African National Blood Service, Weltevreden Park, South Africa.
Brian CusterVitalant Research Institute, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Funding

Research training in HIV-related transfusion medicine and hematology in South AfricaD43TW010345 · FIC · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI UTE JENTSCH, EDWARD L MURPHY · 2017 to 2026
$3.0M
FIC NIH HHS D43 TW010345
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

objectivesCurrently, HTLV screening is not performed in South Africa (SA). This report describes an economic assessment (budget impact and cost-effectiveness) of implementing different HTLV screening strategies.

methodsA modified version of the Alliance of Blood Operators risk-based decision-making framework was used to assess the risk and consequences of HTLV in the blood supply in SA. We developed a deterministic model of the cost and consequences of four screening strategies: none, universal, all donors once and first time donors only assuming a transfusion-transmission (TT) efficiency of 10% and a manifestation of clinical disease of 6%.

resultsUnscreened blood results in 3·55 symptomatic TT-HTLV cases and a total healthcare cost of Rand (R)3 446 950 (US Dollars (USD)229 800) annually. Universal screening would cost R24 000 000 (USD1 600 000) per annum and prevent 3·54 (99·8%) symptomatic TT-HTLV cases in the first year and 0·55 (98·4%) symptomatic TT-HTLV cases in the second year at a cost per TT-HTLV prevented of R6 780 000 (USD450 000) in year one and R43 254 000 (USD2 890 000) in year two. Screening all donors once would cost R16,200,000 (USD1 080 000) or R4 600 000 (USD306 000) per symptomatic TT-HTLV infection prevented in year one. Total costs decrease to R5 100 000 (USD340 000) in year 2 but the cost per TT-HTLV prevented increases to R10 700 000 (USD713 333).

conclusionThis analysis contributed to the decision not to implement HTLV screening as the healthcare budget and particularly the budget for blood transfusion in SA is insufficient to provide appropriate treatment. Arguably, available resources can be more efficiently utilized in other healthcare programs.

Indexed as

Blood DonorsCost-Benefit AnalysisHematologic TestsHTLV-II InfectionsHTLV-I InfectionsHumansHuman T-lymphotropic virus 1Human T-lymphotropic virus 2South AfricaTransfusion Reaction

Identifiers

PMID31131453
PMCPMC7370940

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.