PREVALENCE OF HEPATITIS B VIRUS AMONG BLOOD DONORS IN CENTRAL HOSPITAL, AUCHI

Hepatitis B virus is a widespread public health menace approximated to have infected 257 million people chronically by 2015. Data on the prevalence of HBV is important in formulating public health policies on HBV control like safe blood transfusion. Adults aged 18 to 35 years, known to engage in risky activities associated with HBV spread, constitute major blood donors in Nigeria. Notwithstanding current blood donation safety measures, HBV still remain hazardous transfusion-transmissible infections in donated blood. This study therefore was to determine the prevalence of HBsAg and its relation between sociodemographic variables. A cross-sectional study was conducted from March 2022 to June 2022 in Central Hospital, Auchi. One hundred and forty-six (146) blood donors aged 18 to 65 years old were recruited. A pre-donation questionnaire was used to record their sociodemographic features. Blood samples were tested for HBsAg using Narrowcare HbsAg Rapid Diagnostic Kits asper the manufacturer' s instructions. A result was considered positive if two distinct colored lines appear (one line in the control region and one line in the test region). Generally, the prevalence of HBV was 5.48%, with nosignificant association between various sociodemographic variables and HBsAg positivity. These study findings should therefore be put into consideration while framing health policies to mitigate effects of HBV infection on safe blood transfusion.