Seroprevalence of transfusion transmissible infections (TTIS) among blood donors in SOS hospital Heliwa, Somalia

Background: A transfusion-transmissible infection (TTI) refers to any infection that can be spread from one person to another through the injection of blood or blood products. The prevalence of these infections varies across countries, influenced by the disease burden within each population. To assess the severity of TTIs, the World Health Organization (WHO) has mandated pre-transfusion blood tests for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), and syphilis. This study aimed to determine the seroprevalence and trends of TTIs among blood donors at SOS Hospital in Mogadishu, Somalia, from 2016 to 2022. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional analysis was performed by examining SOS Hospital's blood bank records spanning from 2016 to 2022. The research included all blood donors screened for transfusion-transmissible infections (TTIs) during this period. Data obtained was input and analyzed utilizing Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) v.25.0 and Microsoft Excel 2010. Frequencies and percentages were calculated as part of the descriptive statistics. To analyze trends, Chi-square analysis was applied, and statistical significance between variables was determined using the p-value. Results: There was a total of 36,296 people donated blood during study period. The majority of blood donors were males (99.8 %), primarily aged between 25 and 44 years (80.4 %) with family donors constituting 80.8 % of the participants. Among 36,296 donors, 1087 (2.99 %) tested positive for transfusion-transmissible infections (TTIs), declining from 4.27 % in 2016 to 1.98 % in 2022. The Chi-Square test confirmed a highly significant reduction in TTIs from 2016 to 2022 (X2 = 57.625, p < 0.0001), indicating a decreasing trend over the seven-year period. Conclusion and recommendations: This study uncovers a moderate prevalence of transfusion-transmitted infections, indicating a notable decrease over time. Additionally, the findings underscore a gender disparity in blood donation, with replacement donors being predominant. It is imperative to conduct multi-center research endeavors to precisely identify the factors influencing transfusion-transmitted infections among blood donors.