The Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and Human Immunodeficiency Virus among volunteer blood donors in district Kech, Balochistan: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objective: The study aims to determine the seroprevalence percentage of Hepatitis B (HBV), Hepatitis C (HCV) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in volunteer donors of blood in district Kech.

Methods: The study was cross-sectional, conducted among volunteer blood donors presenting in donation camps in district Kech from May 2023 to September 2023, Kech thalassemia center screened for Hepatitis B, C and HIV using Rapid kit testing. A non-probability consecutive sampling technique was adopted. Data were analyzed using SPSS-26.

Results: The average age of study participants was 26.888.24 years. Out of 512 donors, 511 (99.8%) were male and 259 (50.6%) were married. 112 (21.9%) donors were not formally educated 294 (57.4%) participants donated blood in the last year and 8 (1.6%) have received blood transfusion in the past. Among donors  6 (1.2%) were screened positive for HBV, 2 (0.4%) were screened positive for HCV  and 2(0.4%) were screened positive for HIV .

Conclusion: Blood Donors can be the source of transfusion-transmitted infections. Precautionary measures should be taken to minimize the spread of transfusion-transmitted infections.