Seropositivity of Hepatitis C Virus among Intending Blood Donors in Rivers State, Nigeria

Aims: The objective of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) among intending blood donors at two Hospitals (government and private-owned) in Rivers State, Nigeria.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study.

Place and Duration of Study: Two Hospitals (government and private-owned) in Rivers State, Nigeria, between January 2018 and April 2019.

Methodology: Two hundred and eighty-two (185 males and 97 females, age groups 18-50 years old) blood donors were recruited for this study. Blood samples were screened for antibodies to Hepatitis C virus (HCV) using DiaSpot® HCV-Ab Test strips and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based kits, following the manufacturer’s description.

Results: Of the 282 screened prospective donors (males and females) in this study, the total prevalence of HCV from both hospitals was 4.6% with a seronegativity was 95.4%. Male donors had more cases of HCV (69.2%) than the females (30.8%) whereas the age group 21- 30 years had the highest prevalence of HCV (53.8%). Also, donors with tertiary and secondary education had a tie of (46.2%) as the highest prevalence rate of HCV, this was followed by those with primary education (7.7%). Unmarried donors had higher HCV prevalence (76.9%) compared to their married counterpart (23.1%). Meanwhile, family donors had the highest prevalence of HCV (61.5%) as compared to the relatively low prevalence among voluntary donors (7.7%) and paid donor (30.8%). Concerning occupation, students had the highest prevalence (46.2%), followed by unemployed donors (30.80%), business owners (15.4%) and lastly, civil servants (7.7%). The only significant relationship was found between HCV prevalence and HCV awareness (p=0.001), while the association with other demographic factors and HCV prevalence was not significant (p>0.05).

Conclusion: The seropositivity of HCV among blood donors in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria was low but remains a great danger to public health. Therefore, HCV screening by ELISA methods in all donors is recommended.