P-46 The frequency of transfusion-transmissible infections among donors in 2023 at the National Blood Transfusion Service in Guyana

Methods: From January 1 to October 30, 2023, a cross-sectional study analyzed 9,037 samples from voluntary blood donors across multiple locations in Guyana. Eligible donors were aged 16 to 65 years and met specific health criteria. Ethical clearance was obtained from relevant authorities while donors’ consent was sought. The data was analyzed using STATA 18.0 and a p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: Analysis revealed varying frequencies of TTIs: 1.58% of donors for Syphilis, 0.92% for Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), 0.43% for Human T-Lymphotropic Virus (HTLV), 0.20% for Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) and 0.20% for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), and 0.18% for Chagas disease. The average age of donors was 36.42 ± 0.12 years. TTIs were significantly more frequent in certain age-groups: syphilis was more frequent in 45-54 (3.13%) and 55-65 (4.05%) age-groups, HBV was higher in the 45-54 agegroups (1.40%), HTLV was more frequent in the 35-44 agegroup (0.62%) and Chagas in the 55-65 age-groups (0.67%). Female donors represented 36.%, while male donors represented 64%. For HTLV, females were four times more frequently infected than males. The proportion of positivity in first-time donors was significantly higher for Syphilis (RR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.11-2.15; p-value = 0.009), HBV (RR, 2.20; 95% CI, 1.43-3.37; p-value = 0.0002), HTLV (RR, 2.26; 95% CI, 1.21-4.22; p-value = 0.009), and Chagas (RR, 3.57; 95% CI, 1.30-9.82; p-value = 0.008).

Conclusion: This study highlights the frequency of TTIs among blood donors in Guyana, emphasizing the significant risks posed by Syphilis, HBV, and HTLV. The overall frequency of TTIs was 3.34%. We observed higher frequencies of Syphilis and HTLV, among first-time donors; this underscores the need for enhanced screening and sensitization on prevention measures.