Abstract
BACKGROUND: Blood transfusion is a vital medical procedure used to treat patients with complications such as severe blood loss, blood disorders, cancers, and those undergoing surgery or experiencing obstetric emergencies. Transfusion transmissible infections (TTIs) pose a significant threat to blood transfusion safety. The prevalence of these infections among blood donors varies widely across regions. This study aims to assess the prevalence and burden of TTIs among prospective blood donors over a three-year period (2020-2022) in Osun State. METHOD: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study spanning a three-year period from January 2020 to December 2022. Data were retrieved from the Uniosun blood bank donor records and only records of prospective blood donors aged 18 to 60 years were included in the study. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 22.0. Descriptive statistics was used to summarize the data and were represented as frequencies and percentages. RESULTS: A total of 11,386 blood donor records were retrieved across the three-year period. Above quarter, 25.5% were from 2020, 36.4% from 2021, and 38.1% from 2022. The mean age of the donors was 33.09 ± 8.66 years. More males, 81.2%, constituted the donors, while females represented 18.8%. Most of the donations were family/replacement-based, 90.3% compared to 9.7% of voluntary blood donations. TTIs were prevalent among the age group of 25-34 years. Among all donors tested for the various TTIs, 761 (8.0%) tested positive for Hepatitis B, 358 (4.1%) for Hepatitis C, 235 (2.7%) for Syphilis, 94 (1.1%) for HIV. Over the years, Hepatitis B, recorded the highest prevalence in 2021 with 296 (8.6%), Hepatitis C on the other hand was highest in 2020 at 110 (4.7%), Syphilis recorded the highest prevalence at 80 (3.5%) in 2020 and HIV was highest in 2021 and 2022 with 38 (1.2%) cases. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the persistent burden of TTIs among prospective blood donors in Osun State, Southwest Nigeria, with hepatitis B consistently identified as the most common infection throughout the three-year period assessed. Implementing targeted preventive strategies is a critical step toward reducing transmission and safeguarding blood transfusion safety in the region.