Abstract:
Background: Hepatitis B is a major public health problem worldwide. Hepatitis B is a transfusion trasmitted disease. The prevalence of hepatitis B varies across different geographical areas. Understanding the seroprevalence of hepatitis B infection assists in development of preventive strategies. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of Hepatitis B infection and to study its trend among blood donors of our area.
Method: This study was conducted at the Blood Bank of MLB Medical College, Jhansi over a period of 3 years from January 2016 to December 2018. All the blood units collected were screened for HBsAg using rapid kit test, reactive samples were further confirmed by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay. Samples showing repeat positivity on both methods were included for calculation of seroprevalence.
Results: A total of 21675 samples were studied. 237 donors were positive for HBsAg with a seroprevalence of 1.09%. There was a decreasing trend of Hepatitis B prevalence among donors. Age-wise serprevalence was more is the 18-30-year age group. Replacement donors showed more seropositivity than voluntary donors.
Conclusion: Reduction in seroprevalence among donors require effective donor education, high quality donor selection criteria,trained health care personel and advanced technology. In a developing country like India, cost effective is a concern. Immunization, education and increasing voluntary donation can be effective control measures to enhance safe blood donation.
