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Background: Transfusion of contaminated blood causes a significant burden of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection globally and more than 45,000 infections in Sub-Saharan Africa annually. However, very few studies were conducted in Ethiopia to assess the status of HBV. Objective: To determine the prevalence of HBV and its predictors among volunteer blood donors in Jimma Zone, Southwest Ethiopia.Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among volunteer blood donors who consecutively included from March 10 - April 20, 2018. The detection of the virus was made through the investigation of the Hepatitis B surface antigen in the serum. Data collected through a structured questionnaire were entered into Epi-data 3.1 and analyzed by SPSS 20. Adjusted Odds Ratio with 95% Confidence Interval computed using multivariable logistic regression and statistical significance established at P<0.05. Results: A total of 548 (98.7%) volunteer blood donors participated. The overall prevalence of HBV infection was 16 (2.92%) with 12 (4.5%) and 4 (1.4%) prevalence among males and females respectively. Male sex [AOR=3.28, 95%CI: 1.01-10.68], age 18-24 years [AOR=0.17, 95%CI: 0.36-0.78], frequency of donation [AOR= 0.25, 95%CI: 0.08-0.76] and exposure to unsafe therapeutic drug injection [AOR= 6.98, 95%CI: 1.66-29.29] were significant factors for HBV infection. Conclusions: The prevalence of HBV in the study area was intermediate. Age, sex, frequency of donation, and exposure to unsafe therapeutic drug injection were independent predictors of HBV. Therefore, the blood bank should focus on blood donation among identified low-risk groups and should strengthen counseling for repeated volunteer blood donors.

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