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Africa is burdened with both an increasing population and poor health care resources. Transfusion medicine is uniquely affected in Africa, as a result of a combination of factors which put tremendous pressure on the blood supply. In view of the standard need of the population of the African continent, 8 million units of blood is needed to meet the requirements of nearly 800 million people, according to the guidelines of the World Health Organization that specify (10 units/1000 people). However, the reality indicates that only 3 million units of blood are available annually on the continent, which meets only 40% of the required needs. Therefore, the transfusion of blood and blood products used on the continent is limited to emergency cases only. This demand is driven by many health risks that will be discussed in this article, as well as deficiencies in the infrastructure, support and management, in addition to many other challenges, which ultimately threatens the safety of blood transfusion in the black continent. This entails evaluating the current reality as a basis for developing a future vision on the continent, an issue that will be addressed through the following topics: the history of blood transfusion and donation; the requirements for donating blood in the African continent; centers for donation and blood transfusion services in the continent; blood donation rates; the health risks associated with blood transfusion on the continent; and organizing policies between existing challenges and the future.
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