ASSESSING THE PREVALENCE OF HEPATITIS B IN VOLUNTARY BLOOD DONORS AT INDIAN HEALTHCARE CENTER

Abstract

Background: Hepatitis B infection, or HBV, is responsible for around one million deaths worldwide. Globally, there are around 257 cases of chronic hepatitis B infection, which eventually results in hepatocellular cancer. Additionally, HBV infection is a serious health issue in developing countries like India.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to assess the hepatitis B prevalence among willing blood donors in Indian medical facilities.

Methods: Ten thousand blood donors who met the research's inclusion requirements and were approved to donate blood throughout the designated study period were evaluated for this study. Hepatitis B surface antigen and other TTIs (transfusion- transmitted infections) were assessed in the blood samples obtained from each participant. The collected data were statistically examined.

Results: According to the current study's findings, 0.62% of the 10,000 donors evaluated in the study were HBsAg-positive in every participant included. Males had a substantially higher HBsAg positive rate (0.7%) than females, and the rate was 1.5% among those aged 56 to 60.

Conclusion: The current study comes to the conclusion that, in contrast to previously published statistics, the prevalence of hepatitis B is declining among voluntary blood donors. Raising awareness and educating people about blood-borne illnesses, mass vaccination, voluntary blood donation, and rigorous donor screening is essential in order to reduce the hepatitis B burden and stop additional transfusion-transmitted infections.