Background: Transfusion transmitted infections are one of the concerning risks of blood transfusion which must be eliminated as far as possible.

Aim: The study was undertaken to find out the prevalence and trends of HIV, HBsAg and HCV infections over 9 years from 2009 to 2017, among voluntary blood donors in a blood bank at a tertiary care hospital.

Methods: 9 years retrospective study of data from blood bank.

Inclusion criteria: All blood units that have tested positive for HIV, HBsAg, HCV.

Exclusion criteria: All blood units that have tested negative for HIV, HBsAg, HCV.

Data from 2009 to 2017 was studied for prevalence of HIV, HBsAG and HCV infections among voluntary blood donors.

Blood samples were collected from donor blood bags in plain vacutainers and tested for anti HIV, HBsAg and anti HCV for all samples by commercial Enzyme Linked Immunoassay technique (3^rd generation Enzyme Linked Immunoassay kits). Percentage of reactive samples for all three markers was calculated.

Results: Overall positivity for all three markers was 3.67%. HBsAg showed highest average seroprevalence among the three markers (1.81%) followed by anti HCV (1.08%) and anti HIV (0.78%). Anti HIV prevalence increased gradually from 0.58% in 2009 to 1.08% in 2017 except for a peak in 2011 when the prevalence was the highest at 1.5% . The highest prevalence for HBsAg was seen in the year 2012 (2.27%). The prevalence of anti HCV was highest in 2013 (1.77%) and lowest in 2015 (0.08%).

Conclusions: A greater average seroprevalence was noted for HBsAg. The levels of HBsAgand anti HCV continue to be high in India.

Keywords: Seroprevalence, blood donors, anti HIV, HBsAg, HCV.

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Dr Anita N Kavatkar

Department of Pathology (blood bank), Sir J J Hospital and Grant Medical College, Byculla,

Mumbai 400008, India