Seroprevalance of infectious diseases among blood donors, a retrospective study in MVJMC&RH in rural Bengaluru

Introduction: Blood transfusion despite being a lifesaving procedure is still posing greatest threat of transmitting infectious diseases like HIV, HBsAg, HCV, Syphilis and Malaria. Even completely tested unit of blood is hazardous. Aim and Objectives: The aim of the study was to study the trend and prevalence of sero-markers among blood donors in MVJMC&RH in Hoskote Rural Bengaluru. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was performed from Jan 2011 to Dec 2017 in the blood bank attached to MVJMC&RH. All blood donors who donated in blood bank and outdoor camps during the study period were included and data was analyzed. TTIs testing were done with (ELISA) 4th generation kits for HIV I & II, 3rd generation kits of Hepalisa (HBsAg), and microlisa (HCV) kits for hepatitis C virus. Screening for syphilis was done by RPR and Malaria was detected using (antigen detection kits) Advantage pan malaria cards. Results: There were a total of 9092 blood donors during the study period. out of which 8952 (98.46%) were males and 140 (1.53%) were females. 88 (0.96%) cases were positive for sero-markers for TTIs, Among the 88 seropositive cases, 9 cases of HIV (0.09 %), 48 cases of hepatitis B surface antigen HBsAg (0.52%), 7 cases of hepatitis C virus HCV (0.07%), 23 (0.25%), cases with syphilis reactivity and 1 case of malaria (0.01%) were encountered. Conclusions: Sero-prevalence of TTIs showed a downward trend, probably due to strict donor selection criteria, predonation screening and better education and awareness to donors.