Prevalence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus among Blood Donors in Eldamazin, Blue Nile State

Abstract

The main aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and possible risk factors for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection among apparently healthy blood donors attending Eldamazin Teaching Hospital, Blue Nile State, Sudan. Hundred (n = 100) subjects were investigated for the specific anti-HIV antibodies during the period from January to July, 2010. All subjects examined were males, age ranging from 18 - 40 years. The three population subgroups examined were classified as soldiers (44%), civilians (41%) and refugees (15%). Prior blood donation, 5 ml of blood was collected from blood donors. The 4 th generation Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) was used as screening test, and the Western blot technique (WBT) was used as confirmatory test. Out of the 100 subjects examined, 7 of them were found positive (7%) by ELISA and 6 of them were confirmed positive (6%) by WBT. While the civilians showed the lowest HIV prevalence (4.9%), soldiers and refugees revealed the highest (6.8% and 6.7% respectively). Blood donors of ages 31 - 35 and 36 - 40 years were found to be significantly (P < 0.05) infected by HIV (11.1%) compared to all other age groups examined. However, no significant difference in the prevalence between married (10.3%) and single donors (3.3%). Moreover, no other risk factors (previous blood transfusion, history of surgical operation, history of needle syringe injection ), were found to be significant (P > 0.05).