Malaria Antibody Testing (MAT) was introduced in the IBTS Virology laboratory on 22nd May 2023. Malaria antibody testing will be required for,

1. Donors who have ever been resident in any malaria endemic area for a period of 6 months or more continuously
2. Donors who have ever had a history of malaria and donors who have ever had an unexplained fever that could have been malaria while in or within 6 months of leaving a malarial endemic area
3. MAT will be available for the above donors only in the first phase of introduction. A one year deferral will remain in place for non-residents who have visited malaria endemic countries. At a later phase non-residents (visitors to malaria endemic countries) with a negative test will be accepted after 6 months, instead of one year

These individuals are currently permanently excluded from donating and therefore the introduction of malaria testing will allow the IBTS to diversify the donor population in Ireland, which will contribute to the blood supply in general. Malarial antibodies are produced in virtually all individuals one to two weeks after initial infection. A positive malaria antibody test will result in exclusion of the donor whereas negative test results will enable the donor to become a valued blood donor. The benefits of introducing this change include the ability to recruit donors of African Ancestry (AA) who will have a higher frequency of the Ro blood group. This in turn will benefit those with Sickle Cell Anaemia requiring blood transfusions and decrease the demand on Rh D negative blood. Donors of AA have a higher frequency of the rare blood groups such as Fy (a-b-) and U negative blood. Donors with rare blood groups from other populations will also be available.