Seroprevalence of HIV and hepatitis C co-infection among blood donors in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal.

Abstract
We assessed the seroprevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in different categories of blood donors and the hepatitis C virus (HCV) co-infection rate. A total of 33,255 blood samples were screened for HIV using a third generation ELISA test at the Central Blood Transfusion Service, Nepal Red Cross Society, Kathmandu from December 2006 to September 2007. The seroprevalence of HIV was 0.19% (95% CI= 0.15-0.25) and co-infection with HCV was found in 10.8% (95% CI= 4.4-20.9). There were no significant differences in HIV seroprevalence among the different categories of age, sex, type of donation and time of donation. The study revealed a relatively lower seroprevalence of HIV among blood donors in Kathmandu Valley than reported earlier but a higher HCV co-infection rate. The similar seroprevalence between first time and repeat donors suggests the need for more improved donor education and counselling.
Description
The Southeast Asian Journal of Tropical Medicine and Public Health.
Keywords
Citation
Karki S, Ghimire P, Tiwari BR, Shrestha AC, Gautam A, Rajkarnikar M. Seroprevalence of HIV and hepatitis C co-infection among blood donors in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. The Southeast Asian Journal of Tropical Medicine and Public Health. 2009 Jan; 40(1): 66-70