ABSTRACT
Background: Hepatitis B is a severe, widespread infectious disease of the liver that affects millions of people around the world. It is one of the life-threatening liver infections caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). HBV is the cause of up to 80% of cases of primary liver cancer. Due to the potential risk associated with HBV infection, it is important to study the factors which are associated with the seropositive volunteers. Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with seropositivity for the hepatitis B virus among volunteers who donated blood at the Jimma Blood Bank in southern Ethiopia. Methods: Cross-sectional research was conducted on blood donors who came to the Jimma Blood Bank to donate their blood. Three hundred and fifty-nine volunteer blood donors who arrived at the Jimma Blood Bank were investigated face-to-face in order to collect sociodemographic characteristics and risk factors for HBV infection. The data were analyzed using statistical software SPSS version 20.0. The association between the risk factor for HBV infection and HBV infection was determined using chi-square tests. Result: In total, there were 359 participants; their mean age was 22.5, among which 161 (44.8%) were males. Out of 359 volunteers, 13 (3.6%) were seropositive for HBsAg. The test positivity rate among males was 7/198 (3.54%), while the rate among females was 6/161 (3.7%). More than 3/4 of those who tested positive were under the age of 40. Chi-square analysis showed that volunteers whose income was between 12 and 26.84 USD were less likely to have the infectious disease than those whose income was less than 11.84 USD per month (p=0.042). Conclusion: The prevalence of HBV was found to be 3.6% among selected volunteers. It was found that, out of 20 volunteers, 13 had infection. Chi-square analysis showed that HBV infection was associated with low monthly income and the use of unsafe therapeutic injections.
