Prevalence and Risk Factors of Transfusion‐Transmitted Infections Among Blood Donors in a Tertiary Hospital in Kenya

BACKGROUND: Most health-related conditions depend on blood transfusions for their care. However, transfusion-related infections (transfusion-transmitted infections [TTIs]) remain one of the most important concerns in the area of health care across settings of resource-poor regions. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to determine the status of TTI and some of the risks related to donated blood. METHODS: The study involved 347 participants who donated blood voluntarily to participate in a cross-sectional research study. Blood samples were tested for hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV, syphilis, and malaria. Structured questionnaire was used to gather demographic information and health history data. Data analysis was done through descriptive statistics while using Fisher's exact test to evaluate exploratory associations. RESULTS: The prevalence of TTIs was low with hepatitis B occurring in 1.85% of blood donations and malaria in 2.78% of blood donations. The testing process identified no instances of HIV, syphilis, or hepatitis C. The study could only analyze associations between variables because there were so few positive cases. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of TTIs among blood donors was low. More extensive multicenter research is necessary to determine risk factors and enhance blood safety protocols.