Prevalence of seroconversion among various blood donor groups in Blood Bank Songklanagarind Hospital
ความชุกการติดเชื้อในผู้บริจาคเลือดโดยแยกตามกลุ่มอาชีพที่หน่วยคลังเลือด โรงพยาบาล สงขลานครินทร์

Charuporn Promwong, D. of Pathology, F. of Medicine, PSU.
Santi Siammai, Blood Bank, D. of Pathology, F. of Medicine, PSU.
Corresponding e-mail : pcharupo@ratree.psu.ac.th

Presented : Poster presentation in 16th Annually Academic Meeting of Faculty of Medicine, 16-18 August 2000, at Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla
Key words : prevalence, blood donor, seroconversion

Introduction : Positive infectious screening of donated blood is wasting cost in Blood Bank service. This wasting cost including the cost of blood bags, the screening tests and personnel time. To obtain safe blood by recruiting safe donors is an alternative way to reduce or save this cost.
Objective : To study the prevalence of seropositive screening for HIV, hepatitis B and hepa- titis C viruses and syphilis in various blood donor groups and to find the safe blood donor group.
Methods : This retrospective study was perform in two groups of blood donors. The first group were students who studying in secondary schools, colleges and universities in the area of Songkhla province. There were 1,000 students who donated blood during June 1999 - march 2000. These students were 687 males and 313 females and the age range were 17-23 year. The second group was 1,000 new recruited men for military service who donated blood during December 1998- May 2000 and the age range were 21-24 year. All donated bloods were screened for HIV antigen and antibody, HbsAg, HCV-antibody by EIA technique and syphilis was screened by RPR.
Results : prevalences of seropositive markers 
	Population	HIV(%)	HBsAg (%)	HCV (%)	VDRL (%) 

	Students	- 	2	0.4	0.2
	Military recruited  	0.6 	2.2 	2.3 	0.8
	Incidence of seroconversion	0.41	1.71	0.61	0.78
	    in general donors
Discussion and conclusion : High quality and safety blood is the goal of the Blood Bank to service the patients. The standard screening tests at present is not sensitive enough to detect very low level of infections. From a study of the Nation Blood Centre has found that negative screening of HIV blood when retested by DNA study found positive 3 in 100,000 cases. Therefore to recruit low risk donors will be the possible best way to get the safest blood at the present time. This study showed that students were at low risk of infections compared to the military recruited men and general donors. The intensive campaign for the students to donate blood may obtain adequate safe blood supply.
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