article · PLoS ONE
A retrospective review of 8,460 blood donor records collected between April 2014 and June 2017 in the North Shewa zone of central North Ethiopia examined the prevalence and risk factors for transfusion-transmissible infections. Overall, 2.4 percent of donations showed serological evidence of at least one pathogen, including hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, human immunodeficiency virus, and syphilis. Hepatitis B was the most prevalent infection at 1.2 percent, followed by syphilis at 0.71 percent, hepatitis C at 0.32 percent, and human immunodeficiency virus at 0.25 percent. Co-infections were detected in 0.047 percent of donors. Male donors faced a significantly higher risk of testing positive for hepatitis B and syphilis. In addition, older donors and farmers exhibited a higher risk of syphilis infection. Although the overall infection prevalence was relatively low compared with other regions in Ethiopia, these infections continue to affect local blood transfusion safety.
Transfusion-transmissible infections such as hepatitis and HIV threaten the safety and sufficiency of blood supplies. Knowing the local prevalence and identifying demographic groups with higher infection risks helps blood banks and public health services refine donor screening criteria, allocate diagnostic testing resources efficiently, and minimise the risk of transmitting infections to recipients during blood transfusions.
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BACKGROUND: Transfusion-transmissible infections (TTIs) pose a significant challenge for the availability and safety of blood transfusion. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and risk factors for TTIs among blood donors in North Shewa zone, central North Ethiopia. METHODS: A retrospective survey of blood donors' medical records was conducted from April 2014 to June 2017 to assess the presence of hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and syphilis infections. Descriptive statistics such as percentage, median and interquartile range were used to summarize the data. RESULTS: Out of 8460 donations, 207 (2.4%, 95% CI 2.06-2.71%) had serological evidence of infection with at least one pathogen. Four of the blood donors (0.047%) had co-infection with more than one pathogen; 2HIV/HBV and 2HIV/syphilis. The overall prevalence of HBV, HCV, HIV, and syphilis among the donors were 1.2% (95% CI 0.98-1.45%), 0.32% (95% CI 0.2-0.44%), 0.25% (95% CI 0.14-0.35%), and 0.71% (95% CI 0.53-0.89%) respectively. Male sex was significantly associated with higher risk of HBV (OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.1-2.8) and syphilis sero-reactivity (OR 4.5, 95% CI1.9-10.5). Farmers and older donors were found to be at a higher risk for syphilis seropositivity. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of TTIs among blood donors in North Shewa zone was relatively low compared to those of other geographic places in Ethiopia. However, TTIs remain a concern for the availability and safety of blood transfusion as they are still prevalent in the study area. Therefore, more efforts are required to ensure the safety of blood supply and transfusions.
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DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0194083
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