Prevalence and Socio-demographic Factors Associated With Hepatitis B Among Blood Donors at Mogadishu Turkey Training and Research Hospital in Somalia

Abstract

Background: Hepatitis B is a highly transmissible infection which can occur due to contact with infected body fluids during blood transfusion, mother-to-child transmission, needle stick injuries and sexual contact. Hepatitis B remains a common severe infection of the liver worldwide despite the availability of vaccines and antiviral drugs. Due to health situations such as accidents and anaemia among others, the demand for blood transfusions is high in Somalia. However, information on the occurrence of hepatitis B among donors of blood in Somalia is limited. Aim: The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of hepatitis B virus amid blood donors at Mogadishu Turkey Training and Research Hospital and the associated factors. Methodology:This cross-sectional study was conducted in Mogadishu Turkey Training and Research Hospital laboratory between August and September 2022. The study employed convenience sampling to collect personal data on profession, gender, age, residence and medical history using a questionnaire. A blood samples (5ml) was collected from each of the 881 consenting blood donors. Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (VITROS® 3600) was used to detect the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen in the blood samples.The data collected was stored in Excel worksheets and analysed using IBM SPSS Software Version 26 of collected data. Binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to test any associations between hepatitis B infection and the independent variables. A p-value of <0.05 was regarded as statistically substantial. Results: We recruited 881 study participants and 23 (2.6%) tested positive for Hepatitis surface antigen (HBsAg).The preavalence of HBV was 3.2% among the unvaccinated participants and 0% among the vaccinated. The prevalence of HBV was also higher among participants aged 40 years and above (7.1%). Participants over 40 years of age were 7.26 (95%CI; 1.039 – 50.668) times more likely to be infected with hepatitis B than those aged 40 years and below. In the logistic regresion analysis participants aged over 40 years was the only factor associated to HBV infection (p<0.05). Other variables including education, marital status, income and number of spouses were not statistically related to HBV infection (p >0.05). Conclusion: Study results emphasize the importance of extensive testing of blood donated for transfusion for HBV infection among blood donors, especially those who are not vaccinated against HBV. There is also a need for more studies to know the seroprevalence of the Hepatitis B virus in the larger population. The findings in this study will inform the health sector and policy formulators on the current occurrence of hepatitis B as well as the associated sociodemographic characteristics among blood donors in Mogadishu, Somalia.