Enhancing blood safety: the utility of NS-1 antigen capture ELISA for detecting acute dengue infections among blood donors during peak transmission periods and the potential to curtail dengue spread

Background: Dengue fever is a viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes and affects millions of people worldwide. It can also be transmitted through blood transfusions, particularly during peak transmission periods. Methods: This was a cross sectional study which was conducted over a two-month period (June 2022 to July 2022) at a tertiary hospital blood bank. A total of 180 nonrepetitive serum samples were collected from voluntary blood donors and analyzed using the dengue NS-1 Ag Microlisa ELISA kit. Results: Among the 180 samples two samples tested positive for the dengue virus NS-1 antigen using the NS-1 antigen capture ELISA, indicating a prevalence of acute dengue virus infection among blood donors during the peak transmission period of 1.2% (2/180). Conclusions: The use of NS-1 antigen testing was shown to be useful for dengue virus detection. Routine screening of blood donors for dengue virus is not universally implemented in many countries, partly due to the lack of sensitive and specific screening tests. However, the use of serological tests, such as ELISA for dengue antibodies or NS-1 antigen, can effectively detect dengue virus in blood donors. Interventions made during peak transmission periods can help in curtailing the spread of dengue infections.