The Trends of Viral Hepatitis B and C and HIV Infections in Donated Bloods in Iran Between 2003 and 2017

Abstract

Background

The rate of viral infections in donated bloods is one of the main indicators of blood safety which has to be monitored precisely. This paper provides a thorough study of blood safety indicators in the last 15 years in Iran.

Methods

The data of the transfusion organization in Iran from years 2003 to 2017 were used. The study focuses on the analysis of the frequency of viral hepatitis B and C (HBV and HCV) as well as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in blood donations.

Results

Of 27,442,124 donated bloods, the relative frequencies were 4, 302, and 81 for HIV, HBV and HCV, respectively. This study also shows that the corresponding frequencies were significantly lower in recent years (2.5, 53, and 26 per 100,000 samples in 2017).

Conclusion

The presented study indicates an overall low infection rate and provides evidence for the effectiveness of modern safety measures in improving the level of blood safety in Iran.

Keywords:

• transfusion-transmitted infections
• infection
• blood donors

Abbreviations

TTIs, transfusion-transmitted infections; ITS, interrupted time series; IBTO, Iran Blood Transfusion Organization.

Ethics Approval

In this study, all data were extracted from the national donor registration system. The data were cumulative and there is no individual data from donors available. The current study was approved by the ethical committee at the Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Iran (Ethical Code: IR.KMU.REC.1397.401).

Author Contributions

All authors made substantial contributions to conception and design, acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data; took part in drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; gave final approval of the version to be published; and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Disclosure

The authors have reported no conflicts of interest in this work.