There is a high prevalence of blood-borne infections in West Africa. This study
sought to determine the seroprevalence of blood-borne infections, including
hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), HIV, and syphilis, in blood
donors in Burkina Faso. Blood donors were recruited from 2009 to 2013 in four
major cities in Burkina Faso of urban area (Ouagadougou) and rural area (Bobo
Dioulasso, Fada N'Gourma, and Ouahigouya). Serology tests including hepatitis B
surface antigen, anti-HCV, anti-HIV, and rapid plasma reagin test were used for
screening and were confirmed with ELISA. Disease prevalence was calculated among
first-time donors. Incidence and residual risk were calculated from repeat
donors. There were 166,681 donors; 43,084 had ≥ 2 donations. The overall
seroprevalence of HBV, HCV, HIV, and syphilis were 13.4%, 6.9%, 2.1%, and 2.4%,
respectively. The incidence rates (IRs) of HBV, HCV, HIV, and syphilis infection
were 2,433, 3,056, 1,121, and 1,287 per 100,000 person-years. There was lower
seroprevalence of HBV and HCV in urban area than in rural area (12.9% versus
14.0%, P