To assess factors leading to high rejection of dry blood spot and viral load samples in Northern Province of Zambia

Mr. Davies kalunga

Abstract

 Early infant diagnosis is the main stay to prevent the immunosuppression of human immune virus and to enable those children infected to be initiated on antiretroviral drugs early. Therefore, rejection of samples for this test may lead to increased immune suppression in the children, resulting in high mortality. To assess factors leading to high rejection of dry blood spot and viral load samples in Northern Province of Zambia. Determine the rate of rejection of Dry Blood Spot and plasma for viral load.  State the factors leading to the high rejection of samples. This was a cross sectional retrospective study on 664 DBS and 1665 viral load requisition forms and samples submitted to Kasama PCR lab between January and March 2018. DBS 29/664 (4.36%) rejected. HIV VL 92/1665(5.5%) rejected. The rejections were due to the following factors: missing clients name, contact and ART number, improvised requisition forms, very small blood spots, clotted dry spots and no facility name.