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Internews Honored for Spurring Kenyan Media Coverage of Blood Safety

Photo: Internews Kenya Internews Kenya staff received an award for their work spurring media coverage of blood safety issues.

(July 3, 2007) Every ten minutes, someone in Kenya needs blood. The population needs at least 200,000 units of blood annually, but only 120,000 units were available last year, and some 2% of donated blood was infected with HIV. As a result, some patients simply had to go without needed transfusions. 

To encourage accurate media coverage of these issues, Internews' Local Voices project in Kenya held a roundtable on blood safety that resulted in Kenyan journalists producing 10 news stories encouraging voluntary blood donations. On June 23, Internews was honored for this work by Kenya's Ministry of Health.

A regular Kenyan Broadcasting Corporation program on HIV/AIDS, “A Stitch in Time,” dedicated an hour to the topic, including a news feature and a discussion with listener call-ins. The callers’ questions reflected fears of discovering their HIV status through donating blood and of getting sick after donating. One complained that blood he had donated was not used for the patient for whom he was donating. 

The program also reported that the shortage of blood in blood banks has resulted in doctors almost forcing family members to donate in order to transfuse a patient. Some of this blood is then used to replenish the blood banks.

"Internews is doing a great job in bringing local journalists closer to the issues that affect the public; issues such as blood transfusion,” said Timothy Odongo from the Ministry of Health’s National Blood Transfusion Services, which awarded Internews a certificate for outstanding humanitarian service. "In the recent past, the media has taken keener interest in blood, and has helped to demystify a lot of misconceptions. We hope to continue informing the public through the media in this way."

In a brief address at the National Blood Transfusion Service's first annual gala awards dinner in Nairobi, Dr. Rex Mpanzaje from the World Health Organization also applauded Internews for organizing the roundtable discussion with journalists and stakeholders working in blood services ahead of World Blood Donor Day June 14, which he said opened a stream of meaningful discussions around blood transfusion services in Kenya.

The purpose of the gala was to honor organizations, corporations and individuals who have made exceptional and significant contributions towards blood services. Internews was the only media organization to receive an award.

Kenya is hoping to meet demand through blood donation drives. In addition, great strides have been made to make blood safer. Though much work remains to be done, the infection rate of donated blood has been reduced from 6% a few years ago to 2% last year. Internews Kenya has spurred Kenyan media to examine these and related issues more closely.

Internews’ Local Voices project in Kenya trains and mentors journalists to report on HIV/AIDS accurately and effectively. The project is funded by grants to Internews from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) through the President’s Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief.