Serosurveillance of Blood Donors

Background: The evaluation of data of prevalence of Transfusion Transmitted Infections (TTIS) among blood donors permits an assessment of infections in donor population and consequently the safety of collected donations. It also gives an idea of the epidemiology of these infections in the community. Aim: To find out the seroprevalence of transfusion transmissible infections, namely HIV, HBV and HCV, among voluntary and replacement donors, coming to the Department of Transfusion Medicine at Gandhi Hospital. Materials and methods: Total of 16,872 units of blood were collected from voluntary and replacement donors during the study period from January 2014 to December 2015. All blood samples were screened for (HIV) Human Immuno deficiency Virus, (HBV) Hepatitis B Virus and (HCV) Hepatitis C Virus. Results: out of the total of 16,872 units of blood donors, replacement donors were (91.6%) more compared to voluntary donors (8.4%). The seroprevalence of TTI was 1.85% in total donors. The seroprevalence of HIV was 0.18% in total donors. No voluntary donor was found to be reactive for HIV. The seroprevalence for HbsAg was more in replacement donors (1.58%) as compared to voluntary donors (0.04%). The seroprevalence of HCV was 0.10% and no voluntary donors were reactive. Conclusion: The prevalence of TTI was more in replacement donors when compared to voluntary donors. Hence, more emphasis should be given to motivation of voluntary donors.