Transfusion malaria.

A global review of the problem of malaria accidentally transmitted by blood transfusion revealed that about 350 cases were reported during the period 1911-50 and 1756 during the period 1950-72. The great rise in the frequency of blood transfusions in medical practice and the increase of travel between countries in which malaria is absent and those where it is prevalent render transfusion malaria a problem of clinical and public health importance. Attention is drawn to the value of modern serological methods for the screening of blood donors.