Prevalence of infectious markers in blood donors at Sokodé regional blood transfusion center

Abstract

Background: Emerging infectious diseases are one of the major threats to public health in the world. The potential risks of these agents to blood safety can be explored through hemovigilance systems. World Health Organization has recommended pre-transfusion blood test for HIV, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus and syphilis. A transfusion transmissible infection is any infection that is transmissible from person-to-person through parenteral administration of blood or blood products. The objective of this study was to estimate the seroprevalence of the major transfusion-transmitted infections among blood donors in Sokodé (Togo).

Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at Sokode Regional Transfusion Center from 1^st January to 31^th December 2018.All blood donations screened for transfusion-transmitted infections during the study period were included. Data was collected, entered and analyzed using Transfus Control 4.5. The descriptive statistics were determined in means of percentages.

Results: There were 12.063 blood donations during study period. All donors were volunteer donors and young (95.76% are aged more than 40) .Males formed the majority of the donor population accounting for 10.196 (84.5%).The overall prevalence of transfusion-transmitted infections was 696/12.063 (5.76%).The prevalence for hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, HIV and syphilis antibodies was 589 (4.88%),95 (0.78%),12 (0.1%) and 0 respectively in which  co-infection for VHB-VHC only, was 0,049 % .Majority 589/696 (84.16%) of infection was HBsAg.

Conclusion: The prevalence of HBV was high and alarming.