Prevalence of syphilis among Ethiopian blood donors

Abstract

Abstract: The study was performed to asses the prevalence and distribution of syphilis among Ethiopian blood donors. Serological data of 21,846 blood donors obtained over two years peroid (1987-89) from five blood transfusion centers were analayzed. Syphilis testing was done using the rapid plasma reagin (RPR) test. Overall RPR reactivity of 3% to over 1 2% and sex specific rates of about 3% in females and over 4.5% in males were obtained following prior health screening, including information on risk factors such as sexually transmitted diseases, in the five regions studied. The male to female ratio was 1.5: 1. Distinct low and high seroprevalence centers, with overall rates of 3.0% -4.1% and 10.1 % -12.2%, respectively, were also observed. There was a statistically significant difference (P = 0.0004) in the RPR rate between the two sexes. There is a high prevalence of syphylis in Ethiopian blood donors who underwent prior health screening. Thus, universal syphilis screening of blood intended for transfusions in Ethiopia and Syphilis serostatus notification of blood donors are recommended. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 1995;9(2):91-103]