Prevalence of Hepatitis B Virus and Hepatitis C Virus Among Blood Donors in Nekemte Blood Bank, Western Oromia, Ethiopia: Retrospective 5 Years Study

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus are the greatest threats to blood safety for the recipient. This study aimed to determine the seroprevalence and trends of HBV and HCV infections among blood donors over a period of 5 years at Nekemte blood bank, Ethiopia. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted from January 2015 to December 2019 at Nekemte blood bank. The recorded blood donors’ history and laboratory tests were reviewed by data collectors analyzed with Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20 software. A p-value of less than 0.005 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: A total of 17,810 consecutive blood donors were screened between January 2015 and December 2019. The seroprevalence of HBV and HCV was 3.06% and 0.64%, respectively. The prevalence of HBV was significantly associated with male (AOR: 2.51; 95% CI: 1.17, 2.91), unmarried (AOR: 2.81; 95% CI: 1.79, 2.51) and rural (AOR: 2.11; 95% CI: 1.17, 3.05) blood donors. The prevalence of HCV was significantly associated with blood donor those were male (AOR: 3.01; 95% CI: 1.17, 3.91), within 45–65 years of age (AOR: 3.56: 95% CI: 1.14, 3.99) and unmarried (AOR: 3.14; 95% CI: 1.65, 3.96). CONCLUSION: The current study shows the prevalence of hepatitis B virus was higher among study participants. However, the prevalence of HCV was low compared to the study conducted in other countries in Africa, a substantial percentage of the blood donors harbor HCV infections. Therefore, it is recommended to increase awareness of people (particularly on unmarried, male and rural resident) on modes of transmission and prevention of infection could help in reducing the burden of both HBV and HCV.