RISK FACTORS AND SERO-PREVALENCE OF HEPATITIS B SURFACE ANTIGEN AMONG BLOOD DONORS IN UNIVERSITY OF ILORIN TEACHING...

Availability of safe blood and blood products for transfusion is increasingly difficult globally, especially in developing countries because of high prevalence of Transfusion Transmissible Infections.

To determine the prevalence of HBsAg among blood donors and to evaluate the socio-economic, demographic and medical factors associated with its infection.

A prospective study.

Three hundred and fifty consecutive blood donors were recruited. 2 ml of venous blood was collected aseptically from the ante-cubital vein and subjected to serological test for HBsAg.

High prevalence rate 10.9% was recorded. All the donors reactive to HBsAg were males (38,100%) with a mean age of 30.7 ± 8.02 years, while 55.3%, 44.7%, 5.3%, 42%, 47.4%, 5.3% of them were single, married, primary school graduate, secondary school graduate, tertiary school graduate and illiterate respectively with 36.8%, 23.7%, 39.5% and 0% been unemployed, civil servants/professionals, skilled artisans and business/petty traders. The most common risk factor was multiple sexual partners 55.3%, followed by extra marital affairs 13.2%, tattooing 10.5%, previous blood transfusion 5.2%, previous surgery 2.6% and sex trading 2.6%.

Active public enlightenment programmes and strict blood donation selection criteria need to be put in place in order to provide safe blood and blood products for transfusion.