Seroprevalence of HIV, HBV, HCV and syphilis infections among blood donors at Gondar University Teaching Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia: declining trends over a period of five years

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http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2334/10/111

Research article

Seroprevalence of HIV, HBV, HCV and syphilis infections among blood donors at

Gondar University Teaching Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia: declining trends over a

period of five years

Belay Tessema , Gizachew Yismaw , Afework Kassu , Anteneh Amsalu , Andargachew

Mulu , Emmrich and Ulrich Sack

BMC Infectious Diseases 2010, 10:111doi:10.1186/1471-2334-10-111

Published: 10 May 2010

Abstract (provisional)

Background

Transfusion-transmissible infectious agents such as human immunodeficiency virus

(HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and syphilis are among

the greatest threats to blood safety for the recipient. This study aimed to

determine the seroprevalence, risk factors and trends of HIV, HBV, HCV and

syphilis infections among blood donors over a period of five years at Gondar

University Teaching Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of consecutive blood donors' records covering the

period between January 2003 and December 2007 was conducted. Logistic regression

analysis was used to determine risk factors associated with HIV, HBV, HCV and

syphilis infections.

Results

From the total of 6361 consecutive blood donors, 607 (9.5%) had serological

evidence of infection with at least one pathogen and 50 (0.8%) had multiple

infections. The overall seroprevalence of HIV, HBV, HCV and syphilis was 3.8%,

4.7%, 0.7%, and 1.3% respectively. Among those with multiple infections, the

most common combinations were HIV - syphilis 19 (38%) and HIV - HBV 17 (34%).

The seropositivity of HIV was significantly increased among female blood donors,

first time donors, housewives, merchants, soldiers, drivers and construction

workers. Significantly increased HBV seropositivity was observed among farmers,

first time donors and age groups of 26 - 35 and 36 - 45 years. Similarly, the

seroprevalence of syphilis was significantly increased among daily labourers and

construction workers. Statistically significant association was observed between

syphilis and HIV infections, and HCV and HIV infections. Moreover, significantly

declining trends of HIV, HCV and syphilis seropositivity were observed over the

study period.

Conclusions

A substantial percentage of the blood donors harbour HIV, HBV, HCV and syphilis

infections. Strict selection of blood donors and comprehensive screening of

donors' blood using standard methods are highly recommended to ensure the safety

of blood for recipient.

The complete article is available as a provisional PDF. The fully formatted PDF

and HTML versions are in production.

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