SERO-PREVALENCE OF HEPATITIS B VIRUS, HEPATITIS C VIRUS AND HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS INFECTIONS AMONG BLOOD DONORS IN WESTERN KENYA: A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY.

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV), Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infections are transfusion transmissible infections that cause life-threatening infections. The prevalence of these infections is not well reported among the blood donor population in western Kenya. This study aimed to determine the sero-prevalence of HIV, HCV, HBV and the trend over a three-year period among donors in western Kenya's Regional Blood Transfusion Center located in Eldoret. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on consecutive blood donor records from the Eldoret Regional Blood Transfusion Centre (RBTC) over a three-year period: 2010-2012. After collection of donated blood, samples are taken for screening for HIV, HBV and HCV infections using ELISA technique for anti-HIV-1 antibody, HBsAg (Hepatitis B surface antigen), and anti HCVantibody. Data was analyzed using STATA version 13.1 for windows. Results: A total of 68,404 blood donors aged between 16-60 years in western Kenya donated blood between 2010 and 2012. The male to female ratio was 3:1. A total of 1,068(1.56%) donors had HBV, HCV or HIV infection. The prevalence of HBV, HIV and HCV was 754 (1.10%), 175(0.26%) and 176 (0.26%) respectively for the three years. There was no demonstrable change in the prevalence of any of the infections over the three-year period. Eleven (1.03%) of the infected donors had co-infection most commonly HBV/HIV (n= 21) Conclusion: Blood donors are a highly selected population with low risk of transmissible viral infections, HBV, HIV and HCV in western Kenya [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]