Prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen and hepatitis C virus antibodies among blood donors in Alexandria, Egypt

Hepatitis B and C virus infections are common serious complications of blood transfusion. Over a 6-month period in 2007/08 all samples from a blood bank in Alexandria, Egypt (n = 3420) were tested for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies. A total of 119 donors (3.5%) were positive for anti-HCV and 47 (1.4%) for HBsAg. The mean age of HCV-positive donors was significantly higher than HBV-positive donors: 35.7 (SD 8.3) versus 29.9 (SD 7.4) years. HCV and HBV prevalence was highest among males (93.3% and 93.6% respectively), in urban areas (66.4% and 80.9%) and among manual workers (64.7% and 46.8%). The rates were lower than previous studies in Egypt, perhaps due to predonation screening which excludes those known to be at high risk of contracting bloodborne infections or who had other contraindications to blood donation.