Seroprevalence and trends of transfusion transmitted infections in blood donors of rural tertiary care hospital blood bank: a 3 year retrospective study in Chamba (HP)

Abstract

Background: Timely transfusion of blood saves millions of lives, but unsafe transfusion practices puts millions of people at risk of transfusion transmissible infections (TTIs). Blood transfusion carries the risk of transfusion-transmissible infections including human immunodeficiency virus (HIVI&II), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), malaria and syphilis. With every unit of blood there are 1% chances of transfusion associated diseases.Methods: This study was conducted over a period of 3 years (1stJanuary 2015-31st December 2017) at hospital blood bank of Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru Government Medical College, Chamba (H.P). The study was conducted on both voluntary and replacement blood donors who came to our blood bank and voluntary blood donation camps in and around Chamba. Statistical analysis used. Collected data was analyzed using appropriate statistical softwares such as EPI-INFO and MS-Excel.Results: In our study, we observed a total of 2616 donors over a period of 3 years. In the present study, 847 (32.37%) were voluntary donors and 1769 (67.62%) were replacement donors. Out of 2616 blood samples, 8 were HBsAg positive, 1 HCV positive.Conclusions: Our study shows that the number of blood donors is increasing every year. In our study, the seroprevalence of HBsAg was 0.3% and Hep C was 0.03% in total blood donors. The knowledge of current infectious disease pattern and trends in donor population can help in planning of future blood transfusion related health challenges.