article · Journal of Immunoassay and Immunochemistry
A nine-year retrospective study at Nkenkaasu District Hospital in Ghana examined the prevalence and trends of hepatitis infections among voluntary blood donors between January 2010 and December 2018. Analysing records from 3,306 donors, the investigation found an overall seroprevalence of 11.7 percent for hepatitis C and 10.3 percent for hepatitis B. Approximately 1.4 percent of donors showed co-infection with both viruses, whilst 82.7 percent were free from both infections. The analysis identified a statistically significant association between the Rhesus blood group and hepatitis B status. In 2010, both viral infections recorded identical prevalence figures, but subsequent years through 2018 displayed inconsistent infection trends. Because these high prevalence rates present substantial threats to blood transfusion safety, adopting rigorous donor screening using standard techniques is essential.
Contaminated blood transfusions present a major route for spreading viral hepatitis. Documenting high rates of hepatitis B and C in local blood donors highlights significant vulnerabilities in transfusion safety, underlining the critical requirement for robust, reliable screening protocols to protect patients from contracting potentially life-threatening infections in hospital settings.
The findings underline the practical need for robust screening tools and diagnostic testing in regional healthcare settings. Potential users include hospital transfusion services, blood banks, and clinical diagnostics manufacturers seeking to supply validated screening assays to district-level facilities. As an observational epidemiological study, this work does not introduce a new product or platform, but rather points to an immediate operational requirement for standard screening technologies.
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Hepatitis infections are among the greatest threats to human existence and survival and hence poses a serious public health challenge in blood donation. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and trend of hepatitis infections among voluntary blood donors at Nkenkaasu District Hospital. A retrospective study of voluntary blood donors’ records from January 2010 to December 2018 was conducted. Data on the donors’ age, sex and serum HBsAg and Hepatitis C virus results were retrieved from the Laboratory’s register and analyzed with SPSS version 16.0. Out of the 3306 total donors, the seroprevalence of hepatitis C infection was 11.7% and hepatitis B infection was 10.3%. Only 1.4% of the donors were co-infected with both pathogens and 82.7% had no infection. Rhesus blood group had a significant association with Hepatitis B (P = 0.005). As at 2010, both hepatitis infections had the same prevalence (73), from 2011 to 2018 both showed inconsistent trends. The relatively high seroprevalence of hepatitis infections identified from the study poses a greater threat to blood safety. Extensive screening of blood donors using standard techniques is highly recommended to ensure that recipients receive safe blood.
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DOI: 10.1080/15321819.2019.1682601
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