Hepatitis B Virus Surface Antigen Carriage Among Blood Donors in Ziguinchor, Senegal: Prevalence and Associated Factors

Introduction: Hepatitis B virus is endemic in Senegal, West Africa, however the prevalence of hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) carriage in Ziguinchor, Senegal is unknown. This study was conducted in order to determine the prevalence of HBsAg carriage among blood donors in Ziguinchor and to identify factors associated with HBsAg carriage. Methodology: A retrospective study was conducted in the blood donation unit of the Ziguinchor Regional Hospital in 2013. Screening for HBsAg was performed with kits from Rapid Signal TM HBsAg Serum/Plasma Dipstrip (Orgenics ltd Israel). Results: A total of 2122 donors were included in this study, of which 1715 (80.8%) were male and 407 (19.2%) were female. The overall prevalence of HBsAg carriage among all donors was 12.1% (n=256). Carriage was higher among male donors, (n=223, 13%) compared to female donors (n=33, 8.1%) (p=0.04). Carriage was lower among regular voluntary donors (n=24, 5.8%) compared to new voluntary donors (n=101, 14.1%) and replacement donors (n=131, 13.2%) (p<0.001). Conclusion: This is the first study to report the prevalence of HBsAg carriage in Ziguinchor, Senegal. HBsAg carriage is highly prevalent among blood donors in Ziguinchor, especially among males and new voluntary or replacement donors.