Seroprevalence of Transfusion Transmissible Infections Among Voluntary Blood Donors at an Indian Hospital

Background: The knowledge of the incidence of blood Transfusion Transmissible Infections (TTIs) such as Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Human Immunodeficiency Virus infection, malaria and syphilis is essential for monitoring the safety of blood supply. Objective: To describe the prevalence of TTIs for monitoring blood supply safety and evaluating the efficacy of screening procedures. Methods: A five-year retrospective study spanning January 2016 to December 2020 was carried out on voluntary blood donors at blood donation camps organised by Adesh Medical College and Hospital, Kurukshetra, Haryana, India, and from donors at the hospital’s blood bank. The donated blood was tested for Hepatitis-B, Hepatitis-C, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), malaria and syphilis. Results: There were a total of 10,468 voluntary blood donors during the period of study. Out of all the donors, 0.4% tested positive for at least one of the TTIs, including 0.06% testing positive for HIV, 0.21% for Hepatitis-B virus (HBV) infection (Hepatitis-B Surface Antigen) and 0.13% for Hepatitis-C virus (HCV) infection (Anti HCV Antibodies). None of the voluntary donors was positive for malaria or syphilis. There were no co-infections. Conclusions: The prevalence of TTIs among voluntary blood donors was low hence the advocation for blood from this group of donors. Donated blood specimens should be more effectively screened, and blood should be rationally used.