The Prevalence of Transfusion-Transmitted Infections among Blood Donors at Kuala Terengganu and Its Associated Factors
Abstract
Objective: Blood transfusion is a widely used measure in modern medicine. It is, however, not without risk. One of the risks is transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs). This study aimed to determine the prevalence of these infections among blood donors in a tertiary hospital in Kuala Terengganu and the associated factors.
Materials and Methods: This study involved retrospective data collection of all blood donations from 2011 until 2017, retrieved from the registry at the Transfusion Medicine Unit. The association of the identified risk factors with each TTI was checked for significance using Fisher’s exact test. The association between seropositivity and sociodemographic characteristics was checked for significance by simple and multiple logistic regressions.
Results: There was a total of 330 (0.3%) seropositive donations and 13 (0.014%) seroconvert donors. The majority of the identified risk factors were unsafe sexual practices (51.7%). The seropositivity was significantly higher in males, first-time donors, occupations other than government servants, and donations at mobiles.
Conclusion: The low prevalence of seropositive and seroconvert donors observed in this study reflects the overall effectiveness of donor selection procedures. Nonetheless, strengthening donor recruitment, improving pre-donation counselling, and encouraging repeat donations may further enhance transfusion safety. Strategies that focus on retaining return donors and converting first-time donors into repeat donors should be implemented. A more sensitive screening method, such as nucleic acid testing, would be very beneficial. Findings from this study can be used as a guide for an effective donor recruitment strategy to achieve zero-risk blood transfusion.
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