The Burden and Trend of Blood-Borne Pathogens among Asymptomatic Adult Population in Akwatia: A Retrospective Study at the St. Dominic Hospital, Ghana

Abstract

Background This study was aimed at evaluating the seroprevalence and trend of blood-borne pathogens (HIV, HCV, HBV, and Syphilis) among asymptomatic adults at Akwatia during a four-year period (2013–2016). Materials and Methods The study was a retrospective analysis of secondary data of blood donors who visited the hospital from January 2013 to December 2016. Archival data from 11,436 prospective donors was extracted. Data included age, sex, and place of residence as well as results of infectious markers (HIV, HBV, HCV, and Syphilis). Results The prevalence of blood-borne pathogens in the donor population was 4.06%, 7.23%, 5.81%, and 10.42% for HIV, HBV, HCV, and Syphilis infections, respectively. A significant decline in HBV and HCV infections was observed in the general donor population and across genders. HIV infection rate remained steady while Syphilis infections recorded a significantly increasing trend, peaking in the year 2015 (14.20%). Age stratification in HBV infection was significant, peaking among age group 40–49 years (8.82%). Conclusion Asymptomatic blood-borne pathogen burden was high among the adult population in Akwatia. Gender variations in HBV, HCV, and Syphilis infections in the cumulative four-year burden were observed. Awareness needs to be created, especially in the older generation.

Transfusion Transmissible Infections Among Voluntary Blood Donors at Dessie Blood Bank, Northeast Ethiopia: Cross-Sectional Study

“… 20 In another way, the sero-prevalence finding in the current study is slight higher as compared to previous reports from different parts of Ethiopia, such as Debre Tabor (4.6%), 21 and North Shoa, central Ethiopia (2.4%). 8 Likewise, the rate of TTIs in the current study is somehow higher than different research reports from other countries, like Eritrea (3.6%), 22 Ghana (4.06%), 23 India (4.36%), 24 and Pakistan (5.8%). 1 The possible reasons for the discrepancy in the total sero-prevalence of TTIs between various studies could be variation in the total sample size, in the nature of the study population, research method used, time period, the test kits on the market, storage, and validation of the test kits.…”

First Report from Afghanistan on the Prevalence of Blood-Borne Infections: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Multicentre Study for an Epidemiological Assessment

“…The overall pooled prevalence of infectious markers in our study was 4.36%. Earlier studies from India 17 (4.36%), Ghana 18 (4.06%), Pakistan 19 (4.0%), and Eritrea 20 (3.6%) have reported a similar trend. However, the percentage was on the lower side when compared with Nigeria 21 (28.8%), Bangladesh 16 (7.8%), Ethiopia 22 (11.5%), and Tanzania 11 (10.1%).…”

Prevalence of viral hepatitis B in Ghana between 2015 and 2019: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…A total of three studies [32][33][34] reported HBV prevalence among blood donors with a total sample size of 16 192 participants. The hepatitis B prevalence ranged from 6.94% to 7.50% with a pooled prevalence of 7.17% (CI: 6.78-7.57) (S3 Appendix).…”