Abstract
Dengue virus is one of the causative agents of viral haemorrhagic fever, which is transmitted primarily
through Aedes mosquitoes. Transmission of the virus through non-vector sources had been proven, although,
it is the most common arthropod-borne viral infection in human. This study was carried out to determine the
prevalence of Dengue Virus amongst voluntary blood donors in Osogbo, southwest Nigeria. Ninety one
voluntary non-remunerated donors that satisfied donor suitability criteria in Nigeria; having been considered
fit based on physical assessment, responses provided to Blood Donors’ questionnaire, and tested negative by
both rapid diagnostic and ELISA techniques to HIV 1 & 2, HBV, HCV and syphilis were screened for anti-
Dengue IgM antibody using Enzyme Linked Immuno-Sorbent Assay (ELISA). It was observed that most of
the donors (56.04%) fall within age group 28-37 years, while none of the participant was older than 47. In
terms of gender distribution, men (86.81%) were in the majority. Marital profile showed that most of the
participants were unmarried (72.53%); while literates account for 58.24%. The seroprevalence of IgM
antibodies showed that only two (2.2%) participants were positive for Dengue virus. Result showed that
there is low prevalence of Dengue virus among voluntary blood donors in Osogbo. Monitoring the trends in
prevalence of transmissible infectious agents in blood donors will provide a mechanism to evaluate the safety
of the blood supply. It is hereby recommended that surveillance be sustained on all emerging and reemerging
infectious diseases that have potentials of being transmitted through blood transfusion, dengue
virus inclusive.