Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are significant causes of liver-associated morbidity and mortality for millions of people globally. Ethiopia is one of the viral hepatitis-endemic countries with no national strategy for surveillance and limited data. As such, this study aimed to investigated the extent and associated risk factors of HBV and HCV among community members in southern Ethiopia. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2020 to August 2020. A structured questionnaire was used to collect behavioral and sociodemographic data. Serum samples were collected and assayed for seromarkers of HBV (HBsAg, anti-HBc, and anti-HBs) and HCV (anti-HCV) using ELISAs. In HBsAg-positive samples, HBV DNA was further quantified using RT-PCR. Data were entered into EpiData 3.1 and analyzed using SPSS 21.0. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis were employed. Results:The study included 693 participants. Seromarkers for HBsAg, anti-HCV, anti-HBc, and anti-HBs were found to be 9.5%, 1.4%, 31.1%, and 14.3%, respectively. In 66 HBsAg positives, 57 (86.4%) had quantifiable HBV DNA. Prevalence of current HBV infection (HBsAg + , anti-HBc + , anti-HBs -) and lifetime exposure (positive for either HBsAg or anti-HBc) to HBV were 8.7% and 31.9%, respectively, and 63.1% of participants were vulnerable or had no evidence of prior HBV infection (HBsAg -, anti-HBc -, anti-HBs -). On multivariate logistic regression analysis, multiple sexual contacts, family history of hepatitis infection, alcohol consumption, and khat chewing were significantly associated with HBV. The seroprevalence of HBV was relatively high in this study area. Conclusion:This study showed high prevalence of HBV infection, but low prevalence of HCV. This indicates that HBV is a major health problem in this community. Populationbased surveillance, care, and treatment, as well as behavioral change and education programs, should be enhanced to minimize risk exposure.

Screening of viral transfusion-transmissible infections (TTIs) among blood donors is of public health concern. It is a cost-effective method to monitor the occurrence, distribution, and trends of TTIs in healthy people. This study aimed to estimate the magnitude of the three common viral TTIs among blood donors in Hossana, Ethiopia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 417 blood donors from April to May 2020 in Southern Ethiopia. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and laboratory blood screening for hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) using Wantai AiDTM HBsAg, anti-HCV, and HIV 1 + 2 Ag/ Ab ELISA. Data were entered into Epi-Data version 3.1 and analyzed using SPSS version 21.0. A binary logistic regression model was fitted to identify factors associated with each viral infection. The odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval was calculated. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 417 blood donors participated in this study producing an overall prevalence of viral TTI was 14.38%. HBV, HCV, and HIV prevalence were 9.83%, 2.39%, and 4.31%, respectively. HBV-HIV was a common co-infection, which had 1.2%. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, family history of hepatitis (AOR=5.2, 95% CI (2.92, 7.41)) and multiple sexual contacts (AOR=4.2, 95% CI (2.32-7.43)) were significantly associated with HBV; low educational level (AOR=3.1, 95% ) and multiple sexual contacts (AOR=4.9, 95% CI (3.51-7.96)) were significantly associated with HIV, but the only variable alcohol consumption (AOR=2.7, 95% CI (6.72-23.76)) was also associated with HCV infection. Conclusion:In this study, the magnitude of viral TTIs among blood donors is high. This indicates that there are high risks of transmission for these infectious pathogens. Therefore, effective stringent donor selection and screening protocols should be developed.

The detection of hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) in serum remains the mainstay in diagnosing and screening of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in most developing countries. The absence of HBsAg in the blood may not indicate the absence of circulating HBV and might be infectious. Thus, this study aimed to estimate the burden and its cryptic transmission risks of occult hepatitis B infection (OBI) among HBsAg negative healthy individuals in Southern Ethiopia. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2020 to January 2021. Serum samples were collected and assayed for HBsAg and HBV core antibody (anti-HBc) seromarkers using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In anti-HBc positive samples, HBV DNA was detected using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Data were entered into Epi-Data version 3.1, cleaned, and analyzed using SPSS version 21.0. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were employed. Statistical significance was decided at p < 0.05. Results: A total of 346 were individuals included in this study; 34 (9.8%) were tested positive for HBsAg. The rest 312 (90.2%) negatively tested were further assayed for anti-HBc, and 115 (36.7%) were found positive implying previous exposure to HBV, and 21 (18.3%) out of 115 anti-HBc positives had HBV DNA signifying OBI. The HBV DNA concentration below 200 IU/mL was 85.7%. A high rate of OBI was observed among individuals who had multiple sexual contacts, a family history of hepatitis, and tattooing. Conclusion:In this study, the prevalence of OBI is high. This indicates the burden of HBV is considerable since screening is exclusively dependent on HBsAg which will not eliminate the possibility of residual cryptic transmission through blood donation, organ transplantation, perinatal transmission, and other contacts. Our results demonstrate that nucleic acid-based testing (NAT) should be an essential part of screening to prevent missing OBI.