Prevalence and Trends of Transfusion Transmitted Infections among Voluntary Blood Donors in a Blood Bank of Tertiary Care Hospital in Nagpur, 2017-2021

Background: Blood transfusion is an effective treatment that saves millions of lives. Nevertheless, transfusion transmitted infections (TTIs) are a major problem. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence and trends of TTI in healthy blood donors in tertiary care hospital blood banks and compare it with national data and other studies in different regions. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2017 to December 2021 in healthy donors aged between 18 to 65 years. TTIs tests were performed using CLIA (Chemiluminescent Immunoassay) for HIV, HBV, HCV, and HBsAg, and RPR (Rapid Plasma Rea-gin) for syphilis. Results: Of the 12,193 normal healthy donors enrolled in this study, 124 (1.01%) donors were sero-reactive to various TTIs. Of the 124 donors, 11 (0.09%) were seropositive for HIV, 13 (0.106%) for HCV, 95 (0.7%) for HBsAg, and 5 (0.04%) for VDRL. There were no reactive donors for malaria. The most common age group for sero-reactivity was 21–30 years (50.8%) of all seropositive donors. Conclusion: The overall positive rate for all test combinations for TTI showed a steady trend with a gradual decrease from 2017 to 2021. We should raise public awareness and target people in their 21s to 30s, and contribute to safe blood transfusion