Prevalence of transfusion transmissible infections in blood donors of Pakistan

Abstract

BackgroundTransfusion-transmitted infections threaten the safety of patients requiring blood transfusion, which in turn imposes serious challenges for the availability of safe blood products that are still affordable in health care systems with limited resources. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of transfusion-transmitted infections in blood donors and to evaluate the demographic characteristics of reactive and non-reactive blood donors.MethodsA prospective cohort study was conducted at our institute in Karachi, Pakistan. Donors were required to fill a detailed questionnaire and were screened for Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Human immunodeficiency viruses, Syphilis and Malaria by ELISA and thick film (malaria).ResultsOf the 16,602 blood donors, 16,557 were males and 45 females (mean age 28.6 ± 2). Nine hundred and seventy three (5.8%) donations were reactive in any screening assay, with 58 (0.35%) donations reacting in more than one assay. The prevalence of Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Human immunodeficiency viruses, Syphilis and Malaria was found to be 1.84, 1.7, 0.04, 2.1 and 0.07% respectively. Characteristics among the infections were evaluated and it was found that unmarried donors had a higher chance to be infected by Hepatitis B virus and Syphilis as compared to the other infections. On the other hand, construction workers and married donors were at more risk to be infected by Syphilis rather than the other infections. In case of co-infections, personnel with different occupations and marital status were infected by more than one pathogen.ConclusionA substantial percentage of the blood donor’s harbored transfusion-transmitted infections. Prevention of TTIs should be the main goal right now. There is a need for stringent selection of blood donors with the emphasis on getting voluntary donations and comprehensive screening of donor’s blood for TTIs using standard methods to ensure the safety of blood recipient.

Seroprevalence of Syphilis in healthy blood donors of Lahore during year 2016 and 2017; An upcoming problem for Pakistan.

“…in Karachi, the percentage has increased from 0.22% to 2.1 % from 2008 to 2015. 22,2 All the above data has led to a conclusion that percentage of syphilis has increased in previous years. This was due to unsafe sexual practices, decrease in adopting protective measures and improper screening of blood.…”

“…Blood transfusion, on one hand, has saved millions of lives, while on the other hand, it has also been proven as a cause for contracting infectious diseases. 1,2 Each transfusion carries 1 percent likelihood of causing transfusion transmissible infections (TTIs). 3 Thus, each and every transfusion has got a risk for spreading infectious diseases.…”

“…6,7 Transfusion of safe and healthy blood is a universal right and is also an indicator of high quality of a healthcare system. 2,8 However in Pakistan problems encountered in this process are many with the most significant being lack of provision of proper services recommended by WHO, poverty and unavailability of resources because of majority of population living in rural areas. 9,10 Hence, it strictly demands improvements in infrastructure, proper training of the staff & equipping of blood banks with all the required resources.…”

“…15,17 Data from other cities including Karachi & Islamabad (two big cities of Pakistan) also portray an increasing prevalence of this disease. 22,2,16 This demands that its prevalence in blood donors needs to be evaluated each year. Here, we have studied prevalence of Syphilis in healthy donors of Lahore for the year 2016 and 2017 with the aim to assess the disease burden and also to monitor the safety of blood transfusion which may form the basis of public policy.…”

Frequency of Viral Transfusion-Transmitted Infections (TTIs) Among Resident and Pilgrim Blood Donors in Mashhad, 2011

“…The prevalence of viral blood-borne infections was much lower in Iran than in some countries such as India, Pakistan, Ethiopia, and Nigeria. This could be owing to the different incidence rates of risky behaviors among populations and different preventive measures including awareness programs, quality of donor recruitment, and screening strategies administered at blood transfusion centers (5,19,(25)(26)(27).…”