Seroprevalence of Viral Hepatitis B and C and HIV Co-Infection among Voluntary Blood Donors in the Northern Region of Burkina Faso

The aim of this study was to assess the seroprevalence of viral hepatitis B and C and co-infection with HIV among volunteer blood donors at the blood sampling and distribution depot (BSDD) in Ouahigouya. Patients and methods: Our study population consisted of all volunteer blood donors who had donated during a 2-year period from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2020. Samples were taken from patients with no contraindications and serological tests were performed using ELISA tests. HBsAg, HCV-Ac and HIV serology were tested. All samples reactive for HIV, HBV and HCV were retested for confirmation using a second enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A result was considered positive if both the first and second tests were positive. Results: In two years, the Ouahigouya BSDD recorded 9726 donations, including 7983 new donors and 1743 former donors. The average age of donors was 25.59 years, with a sex ratio of 3.4. The seroprevalence of HBV, HCV and HIV was 7.31%, 3.10% and 2.12% respectively. HBV-HCV co-infection was found in 0.32% of cases, HIV-HBV, HIV-HCV, and HIV-HBV-HCV co-infection were found in 0.25%, 0.09% and 0.04% respectively. Conclusion: The seroprevalence of viral hepatitis B and C remains high among volunteer blood donors in Ouahigouya, although a decline in seroprevalence appears to be on the horizon.