Prevalence and factors associated with transfusion-transmissible infections among blood donors in Arua regional blood bank, Uganda

BACKGROUND

Blood transfusion services play a key role in modern healthcare delivery. In 2022, approximately 118.5 million blood donations were collected globally. However, about 1.6 million units of blood are destroyed annually due to transfusion-transmissible infections (TTIs). There is a high risk of TTIs being transmitted to recipients if safe transfusion practices are not observed. This study determined the prevalence and factors associated with TTIs among blood donors at the Arua regional blood bank in Uganda.

METHODS

This study was a retrospective cross-sectional design involving a review of a random sample of 1370 blood donors registered between January 1st, 2018, and December 31st, 2019, at the Arua regional blood bank, Uganda. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the characteristics of the blood donors. Binary logistic regression was employed to determine the factors associated with TTIs.

RESULTS

The majority of the blood donors were male (80.1%), with a median donor age of 23 years (IQR = 8 years). The overall prevalence of TTIs was found to be 13.8% (95%CI: 12.0-15.6%), with specific prevalences of 1.9% for HIV, 4.1% for HBV, 6.6% for HCV, and 2.8% for Treponema pallidum. Male sex (AOR = 2.10, 95%CI: 1.32–3.36, p-value = 0.002) and lapsed donor type compared to new donor type (AOR = 0.34, 95%CI: 0.13–0.87, p-value = 0.025) were associated with TTIs.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of TTIs among blood donors in the West Nile region of Uganda was significantly high, indicating a substantial burden of TTIs in the general population. There is a need to implement a more stringent donor screening process to ensure the selection of risk-free donors, with extra emphasis on male and new blood donors. Additionally, sensitizing blood donors on risky behaviors and promoting self-deferral could reduce the risk of donating infected blood to recipients.