In the annals of things I could not have seen coming, none has been more unexpected than “Women Wearing Shoulder Pads,” a queer Spanish-language stop-motion comedy melodrama, set in the aesthetic world of a 1980s Pedro Almodóvar film. (It arrives Sunday at midnight on Adult Swim, the home of things one doesn’t see coming, and premieres the next day on HBO Max.)
Though it takes place in Ecuador, its central character, Marioneta Negocios (Pepa Pallarés), is Spanish, and it’s easy enough to imagine Almodóvar muse Carmen Maura in the role — though it is also impossible to imagine the story told as well, or at all, in any other way. When I call this series perfect, notwithstanding the happy imperfections of its puppets and sets, it’s not because everything works as its meant to, but because there’s nothing you can measure it against — it occupies its own self-created space. Every element is necessary. Even presenting it in English would be to lose romantic, dramatic, telenovelistic force.
At the center of the story is the cuy, a guinea pig eaten in Andean South America, though in this telling they’re also used in a version of bullfighting. (Some cuys are large enough to ride on.) The primary action is a power struggle between Marioneta, a socialite running a campaign promoting cuy as pets, not food, and Doña Quispe (Laura Torres), who has risen from life as a humble butcher to the anything-but-humble CEO of the country’s most famous restaurant, El Cuchillo (the knife).
Mixed up in their lives are Coquita Buenasuerte (Gabriela Cartol), Marioneta’s seemingly happy-go-lucky assistant; Espada Muleta (Kerygma Flores), a matadora in love with Marioneta; Nina (Nicole Vazquez), Doña Quispe’s vegetarian daughter, serving a pro-cuy group as its Minister of Refreshments and Head of Recruitment for Rebellious Teens — “I have looked upon the caged cuy through the prison of capitalist enterprise, through the hubristic iron bars of a homocentric world view” — who will become a pawn in the older women’s game.
Not everything will be as it seems.
Created by Gonzalo Cordova (a veteran of “Tuca & Bertie” and “Adam Ruins Everything”) and produced by the Mexican animation studio Cinema Fantasma, the series comes packaged as eight 11-minute episodes — that is cartoon length — which neatly constitute a short feature film. On the bill are mystery, suspense, terror, revenge, hot romance (including some puppet sex), masked stalkers, performance art, love notes posted with knives, parodies of television shows and commercials, old secrets coming to light and nuns singing karaoke.
From “Gumby” to “Rudolph” to “Wallace and Gromit” to “The Fantastic Mr. Fox,” stop motion is of all forms of animation most magical and in its real-space, three dimensional, handcrafted way the most like life, if not necessarily the most lifelike. (It can look ungainly, which is also part of its charm.) It’s a magnification of childhood playtime, a puppet show in which the puppets have broken loose from the puppeteers. The cleverness of the execution is as or more important than how seamless it is. “Women Wearing Shoulder Pads” does all sorts of neat tricks, some you notice and more you simply accept — and when deemed necessary, or just amusing, it will insert a live-action hand or mouth. It’s an exaggerated world — appropriately to the heavy-breathing material — but emotionally expressive, even moving, and lots of fun.
Russia’s reaction to Donald Trump’s summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska has been nothing short of jubilant, with Moscow celebrating the fact that the Russian leader met his US counterpart without making concessions and now faces no sanctions despite rejecting Trump’s ceasefire demands.
“The meeting proved that negotiations are possible without preconditions,” wrote former president Dmitry Medvedev on Telegram. He added that the summit showed that talks could continue as Russia wages war in Ukraine.
Trump entered the high-stakes summit warning, “I won’t be happy if I walk away without some form of a ceasefire,” and threatening “severe consequences” if Moscow refused to cooperate.
But after a three-hour meeting with the Russian side that yielded no tangible results, Trump shelved his threats and instead insisted that the meeting was “extremely productive,” even as Putin clung to his maximalist demands for ending the war and announced no concessions on the battlefield, where Russian forces are consolidating key gains in eastern Ukraine.
Putin on Friday demanded Ukraine withdraw from Donetsk and Luhansk as a condition for ending the war, but offered Trump a freeze along the remaining frontline, two sources with direct knowledge of the talks told the Guardian.
Although Luhansk is almost entirely under Russian control, Ukraine still holds key parts of Donetsk, including the cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk and heavily fortified positions whose defence has cost tens of thousands of lives.
Putin told Trump that in exchange for Donetsk and Luhansk, he would halt further advances and freeze the frontline in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, where Russian forces occupy significant areas.
Ukrainian president Volodomyr Zelenskyy has consistently rejected giving up territory and, on Saturday, European allies reaffirmed that Ukraine’s borders must not be altered through force.
On Saturday morning, Trump also publicly dropped plans for an immediate ceasefire he had himself championed for months, instead embracing Putin’s preferred path to ending the war: pushing through a far-reaching agreement before halting any fighting.
“It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
All in all, the view from Moscow is that Putin appears to have gained the upper hand.
“Putin gave Trump nothing, but still got everything he wanted. Trump finally listened to his demands,” said a member of the Russian foreign policy establishment, speaking on condition of anonymity.
In his remarks after the meeting in Alaska, Putin gave little indication of softening his stance, repeating that Moscow wanted the “root causes” of the conflict addressed – Kremlin shorthand for demands to demilitarise Ukraine, restrict its domestic politics and block its path to Nato.
No economic incentives offered by Trump’s team seemed to sway Putin – the economic delegations meeting was even scrapped – with observers stressing he would always prioritise the war in Ukraine over whatever financial gains peace might unlock.
Trump admitted there were still “one or two pretty significant items” left to resolve with Putin, but most worryingly for Kyiv, he ramped up pressure on Volodymyr Zelenskyy, telling Fox News host Sean Hannity: “Now, it’s really up to President Zelenskyy to get it done.”
These comments were quickly seized upon in Moscow.
“Both sides directly placed responsibility for achieving future results in negotiations on ending military actions on Kyiv and Europe,” Medvedev, now the deputy chair of Russia’s security council, wrote.
Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Centre, said: “Trump now appears to be shifting much of the responsibility on to Kyiv and Europe. Ukraine is likely to face increased pressure from the US to begin substantive discussions of Putin’s conditions.”
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She added that Trump was “once again clearly charmed and impressed by his interlocutor”, referring to the warm body language and effusive compliments the US president directed at Putin.
The key question is how far Trump will press Zelenskyy, who is set to meet him in Washington on Monday, to accept a deal on Putin’s terms and whether European allies can once again steer Trump on to a different course.
“Trump clearly did not fully accept the settlement plan that Putin is promoting,” cautioned Stanovaya.
For now, though, confidence runs high in Moscow.
“The tasks of the special military operation will be accomplished either by military or diplomatic means,” wrote senior Russian lawmaker Andrei Klishas on Telegram.
Unfazed by Trump, officials close to Putin felt free to contradict him outright. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, who attended the Alaska meeting with the US leader, said no talks had taken place about a three-way summit between Putin, Zelenskyy and Trump, directly rebutting Trump’s claim to reporters that a meeting was in the works.
Russian state media and the Kremlin elite were already in high spirits as Trump rolled out the red carpet and treated Putin as an equal, despite the Russian leader being wanted by The Hague for war crimes.
“Western media are on the verge of completely losing it,” wrote foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova as Putin landed in Alaska.
“For three years they told everyone Russia was isolated and today they saw a beautiful red carpet laid out for the Russian president in the US,” she added.
On Saturday morning, Russia’s flagship Channel One morning news bulletin highlighted the pomp of the summit, its international visibility, and the warm welcome for Putin, a striking contrast to his isolation by western leaders since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
“The red carpet and handshakes … are in all global publications and TV channels,” a presenter cheered, noting it was the first time Trump had met a visiting leader at the airport.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir has personally dismissed speculation about changes in the presidency and premiership as the work of elements conspiring against the ruling setup, in remarks quoted on Saturday by a local newspaper.
Suhail Warraich, senior editor for the Daily Jang newspaper, wrote today that the army chief had spoken to him in person on the matter during a recent meeting between the two in Brussels. Field Marshal Munir had stopped over in Belgium on his return from last week’s visit to the United States.
“The talk started with politics, especially on rumours that there is some effort to change the president of Pakistan as well as the prime minister. Field Marshal Munir clearly said, during both the Brussels gathering and in his two-hour discussion with me, that the rumours about a change were completely false,” the column said.
“When informed that this ‘news’ had been circulated by both civil and military agencies, he [Field Marshal Munir] said this could not be possible. ‘In fact, there are elements behind this who oppose both the government and the authorities and wish to create political anarchy,’” the army chief was quoted as saying.
Last month, speculation was rampant that President Asif Ali Zardari may soon step down, potentially paving the way for the army chief to assume the country’s presidency. The reports on social media had claimed that work was underway to replace the current parliamentary system with a presidential form of government. Some reports had also claimed that President Zardari had set one condition for his exit — a key role for his son Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in the new dispensation.
The rumours were summarily addressed and rubbished by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi twice and by military spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry as “nonsense”.
Field Marshal Munir was also reported as saying on stage at the Brussels gathering that: “God has made me protector of the country. I do not desire any position other than that.”
The army chief praised the prime minister and his 18-hour work streak, the federal cabinet and the government, especially their “determination and courage” during the May conflict with India.
“On a question about politics, he [the army chief] said that political reconciliation is possible only if there is a sincere apology,” the column read. Although it does not specify who the army chief was referring to or who the question was about, it can be inferred that he may have been referring to the PTI and its incarcerated leader.
The military considers the PTI the “planners and architects” of the May 9 riots and in May 2024, demanded an apology from Imran Khan, who in turn claimed that the army owes an apology to him since he was “abducted” by the Rangers on May 9. However, days later, he offered to apologise on the condition that the involvement of PTI supporters in the violent protests was proved through CCTV evidence. Scores of PTI leaders have recently been convicted in cases over the riots and disqualified.
On foreign relations, the army chief was said to have expressed confidence in maintaining equilibrium between the US and China. “We will not sacrifice one friend for the other,” Field Marshal Munir was quoted as saying.
The army chief also described US President Donald Trump’s efforts for peace as “genuine”, and said Pakistan had taken the lead in nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize, which was then followed by other nations.
The column further said the army chief had warned India against destabilising Pakistan’s peace through the use of “proxies”, and also cautioned Afghanistan against “pushing the Taliban into Pakistan”, or it would be met with a response.
“He said that we have shown kindness and favours to Afghans for years, but instead of repaying them, a conspiracy is being hatched against us in collaboration with India,” the column read.
Richarlison netted a brace, including a superb scissor kick, as Thomas Frank picked up a first Premier League win in charge of Tottenham with a 3-0 victory over Burnley.
Frank was without injured pair James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, but Richarlison’s double helped Spurs secure a first league win since April 6.
Mohammed Kudus twice set up Richarlison for his goals, firstly in the 10th minute before he supplied a cross which the latter volleyed in on the hour mark.
Brennan Johnson added another six minutes later to wrap up the win for Tottenham on a tough top-flight return for Burnley boss Scott Parker at his old club.
Newcastle missed the presence of Alexander Isak as they shared the spoils in a goalless draw with 10-man Aston Villa.
Isak was left out by boss Eddie Howe as the Sweden international tries to force a move away from St James’ Park this summer.
But the Magpies could have done with their star man as they failed to find a way past Villa, who had Ezri Konsa sent off in the 66th minute.
Sunderland marked their return to the Premier League in style after they swept West Ham aside with a 3-0 win at the Stadium of Light.
Following an eight-year absence from the league, the Black Cats went ahead just after the hour mark through Eliezer Mayenda before Dan Ballard’s header doubled their advantage.
Substitute Wilson Isidor came off the bench and put the cherry on top of a perfect afternoon to wrap up three points in Sunderland’s first Premier League appearance since May 2017.
Rodrigo Muniz struck deep into stoppage time as Fulham snatched a 1-1 draw from under the nose of Brighton at the Amex Stadium.
Brazilian forward Muniz pounced six minutes into added time after Brighton failed to deal with Harry Wilson’s corner.
Albion had looked on course to make a winning start to the season when Matt O’Riley tucked home a 55th-minute penalty after Sander Berge brought down Georginio Rutter.
The big day is here: a new champion will be crowned at the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship and two European powerhouses are due to battle for the win, when Spain take on Germany in the Cairo Stadium – Hall 1 at 19:30 EEST on Sunday for the title.
Four matches are scheduled on Sunday, including the bronze medal match between Sweden and Denmark, a rematch of last year’s European Championship final, which Sweden won in extra-time.
Final
19:30 EEST Spain vs Germany
Bronze medal match
17:00 EEST Sweden vs Denmark
Placement Match 5/6
14:45 EEST Egypt vs Iceland
Placement Match 7/8
12:30 EEST Norway vs Hungary
19:30 EEST – Spain vs Germany
This will be Spain’s fourth final at the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship and Germany’s second, but there is no clear favourite in this match, as Germany entered as underdogs several times in this competition, but they are still the only team which did not lose so far – with six wins and a single draw, 28:28 in the preliminary round against the Faroe Islands.
Spain, on the other hand, won big against Serbia, 42:24, secured crunch wins against Croatia, 38:35, Egypt, 31:29 and Sweden, 33:30, but conceded a loss against Iceland, 28:29, conceding two goals in the last 20 seconds of the match.
However, Spain have a clear advantage in attack, where they have scored 261 goals, an average of 37,3 per match, boasting the best attack at Egypt 2025, while Germany have lagged behind and have scored only 214 goals, being the 18th best scoring team, with an average of 30,5 goals per match.
Nevertheless, Germany have conceded only 180 goals so far, the fourth lowest number, nine less than Spain, but both teams have been impressive on this side of the ball, considering their opponents so far at the 2025 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship.
“Spain is a good team that plays a different defensive system, is very anticipatory and willing to run. It will be a big cognitive challenge for us. But the adrenaline will do a lot for the players, and the form of the day will decide. We are really looking forward to the match,” said Germany’s coach, Eric Wudtke, for handball.net before the match.
Germany lost their only final played so far at the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, conceding a 28:32 in the last act of the 2019 edition against Egypt, with players like Julian Koster or Nils Lichtlein in the squad coached by the same Wudtke.
On the other hand, this is Spain’s fourth final, after the ones lost in 2011 and 2017, and the one won in 2023, in the previous edition, when the golden generation of “Los Hispanos” managed to win the maiden trophy in this age category.
“Well, we were a bit more under pressure because the generation before us has won everything there is to win. Obviously, we would like to do just as well, even though it’s very difficult. But we want to try and until now, we managed to do pretty well,” said Spain’s centre back Quim Rocas, after the semi-final against Sweden.
Provided Spain win the title, they will become only the third team in history to clinch back-to-back trophies at the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, after Denmark and France.
Spain will also secure their fourth medal in the competition, with only Denmark (six medals) and Croatia (five medals) winning more in history.
17:00 EEST – Sweden vs Denmark
Denmark missed out on a chance to set a historic precedent at the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship – the same teams playing consecutive finals, after they lost the semi-final against Germany, 30:32.
The Scandinavian side went behind early and never managed to get a footing in the match, with their attack failing to produce the necessary output to mount a comeback and will have to settle for the bronze medal match, where they have the chance to secure their seventh medal in 10 appearances in the competition.
Their semi-final losses were their first at Egypt 2025 for both Denmark and Sweden, with the latter side seeing a six-match winning streak broken by their 30:33 loss against Spain, while Denmark had already drawn against Egypt, 29:29, in the main round.
Both sides are not in their maiden bronze medal match at the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship, with Sweden having already finished third three times, in 2007, 2009 and 2011, while Denmark have two bronze medals, in 2017 and 2019 and missed the podium in 2007, when they finished fourth.
This is also a rematch of this generation’s continental final last year at the M18 EHF EURO 2024, when Sweden took a 37:36 extra-time win in the final in Podgorica.
In the present study, data from a total of 31,931 blood donors including 31,598 (98.96%) males and 333 (1.04%) females from June 2015 to December 2023 were screened. Of these, 31,338 (98.14%) were replacement donors, while the remaining 593 (1.86%) were voluntary donors. The percentage of female donors was significantly lower across all studied groups. The mean age, weight, and hemoglobin (Hb) level of the blood donors were 31.97 ± 6.37 years, 69.56 ± 6.88 kg, and 13.6 ± 0.85 g%, respectively, with no significant differences observed between replacement and voluntary donors. The majority of the blood donors (92.47%) belonged to the 18–40 years age group, with the highest proportion (31.71%) in the 26–30 years age group, compared to only 7.54% in the 41–55 years age group. Among replacement donors, 64% were from rural areas, whereas 68.13% of voluntary donors were from urban areas. In terms of religion, almost 75% of donors were from the Hindu community, followed by Islamic (21.13%), Christian (1.51%), Sikh (1.32%), and Buddhist (0.99%) communities. The most common blood group among donors was O-Positive (37.03%), followed by B-Positive (30.23%), A-Positive (22.85%), and AB-Positive (7.05%). Only 2.84% of donors were Rhesus-negative (Table 1).
Demographic details of TTI-reactive donors
Out of a total of 31,931 blood donors, 949 (2.97%) tested positive for at least one transfusion-transmissible pathogen. The positivity rate was relatively higher among males than females (2.97% vs. 0.32%), in the 18–40 years age group compared to other age groups (2.52% vs. 0.44%), among rural compared to urban inhabitants (1.84% vs. 1.14%), among Hindus compared to other religions (2.16% vs. 0.8%), and among Rhesus-positive donors compared to Rhesus-negative donors (2.88% vs. 0.09%). However, these differences in occurrence were not statistically significant. The blood group with the highest positivity rate was O-Positive (1.08%), followed by B-Positive (0.88%), A-Positive (0.68%), and AB-Positive (0.24%). There were no significant differences in the mean age, weight, or Hb levels between replacement and voluntary blood donors (Table 2).
Prevalence of TTIs
The overall prevalence of TTIs in the study was observed to be 3.1%. Among the TTIs, HCV (1.14%) had the highest prevalence, followed by syphilis (1.0%), HBV (0.54%), HIV (0.41%), and malaria (0.01%). A total of 39 donors (0.12%) tested positive for multiple (mixed) TTIs. The multiple TTI positivity rate was higher among Rhesus-negative donors (0.22%) compared to Rhesus-positive donors (0.12%), although the difference was statistically insignificant (p = 0.86). The highest prevalence of TTIs was observed in the year 2021 (4.18%), followed by 2023 (4.15%), 2018 (3.17%), 2022 (2.98%), 2020 (2.68%), 2019 (2.37%), 2016 (2.29%), 2017 (2.12%), and 2015 (1.54%). In terms of individual TTIs, the highest prevalence of HBV (0.66%) and HCV (1.68%) was observed in 2023, HIV (0.69%) in 2018, and syphilis (1.58%) in 2021 (Table 3).
Prevalence of TTIs among studied blood groups
Out of the total 989 TTI-positive cases (including the mixed infections), A, AB, B, O, Rhesus-positive, and Rhesus-negative blood donors were 233 (3.08%), 84 (3.57%), 298 (3.02%), 374 (3.08%), 958 (3.09%), and 31 (3.41%), respectively. The overall TTI reactivity was observed to be higher among Rhesus-negative blood donors compared to Rhesus-positive donors (3.41% vs. 3.09%), particularly in cases of syphilis infection (1.87% vs. 0.97%). Of the 173 (0.54%) HBV-positive donors, the percentages of A, AB, B, O, Rhesus-positive, and Rhesus-negative donors were 38 (0.5%), 10 (0.43%), 49 (0.5%), 76 (0.63%), 169 (0.54%), and 4 (0.44%), respectively. A total of 364 (1.14%) blood donors were tested positive for HCV, with 84 (1.11%) A, 27 (1.15%) AB, 103 (1.04%) B, 150 (1.24%) O, 356 (1.15%) Rhesus-positive, and 8 (0.88%) Rhesus-negative donors. The percentages of A, AB, B, O, Rhesus-positive, and Rhesus-negative blood group among HIV-positive donors were 33 (0.44%), 15 (0.64%), 42 (0.43%), 41 (0.34%), 129 (0.42%), and 2 (0.22%), respectively. Only 2 (0.02%) blood donors of the O Rhesus-positive blood group were tested positive for malaria. Of the total 319 (1%) syphilis-positive donors, the proportions of A, AB, B, O, Rhesus-positive, and Rhesus-negative donors were 78 (1.03%), 32 (1.36%), 104 (1.05%), 105 (0.86%), 302 (0.97%), and 17 (1.87%), respectively. The TTI positivity rate was higher among donors with the AB blood group (3.57%) compared to others. Regarding the prevalence of individual TTIs, syphilis showed the highest prevalence rate of 1.36%, primarily involving AB group blood donors, followed by HCV infection (1.24%), which mostly affected O group donors. Donors with the O blood group demonstrated a somewhat higher prevalence (0.16%) of multiple infections compared to other blood groups (Table 3).
Trends of TTIs
The results of the present study revealed a consistent increase in the cumulative frequency of overall TTI positivity from 2015 to 2023, with the exception of 2022, when a slight decline in frequency was observed. Notably, the prevalence of TTIs showed a general upward trend, with significant increases in 2016, 2018, and 2021.
In particular, HCV prevalence exhibited a clear rise, increasing from 0.51% in 2015 to 1.68% in 2023, despite slight decreases in 2016 (0.46%) and 2022 (1.01%). On the other hand, HBV prevalence remained relatively stable throughout the study period, while other TTIs did not follow a discernible trend (Fig. 1).
Fig. 1
Graphical representation of the trend of TTI prevalence.
A total of 173 (0.54%) blood donors tested positive for HBV. Among them, the distribution by blood group was as follows: A (38, 0.5%), AB (10, 0.43%), B (49, 0.5%), O (76, 0.63%), Rhesus-positive (169, 0.54%), and Rhesus-negative (4, 0.44%). For HCV, 364 (1.14%) blood donors were positive. Their distribution was: A (84, 1.11%), AB (27, 1.15%), B (103, 1.04%), O (150, 1.24%), Rhesus-positive (356, 1.15%), and Rhesus-negative (8, 0.88%). A total of 131 (0.41%) blood donors were positive for HIV-I/II, distributed as follows: A (33, 0.44%), AB (15, 0.64%), B (42, 0.43%), O (41, 0.34%), Rhesus-positive (129, 0.42%), and Rhesus-negative (2, 0.22%). Only 2 blood donors with the O Rhesus-positive blood group tested positive for malaria. A total of 319 (1.0%) blood donors were positive for syphilis. Their distribution was: A (78, 1.03%), AB (32, 1.36%), B (104, 1.05%), O (105, 0.86%), Rhesus-positive (302, 0.97%), and Rhesus-negative (17, 1.87%) (Table 3).
Association of individual TTI with different blood groups
The relative percentages of HBV (43.93% vs. 5.78%), HCV (41.21% vs. 7.42%), HIV (31.3% vs. 11.45%), and syphilis (32.92% vs. 10.03%) positivity were significantly higher in donors without any ABO antigens (O group) compared to donors with both A and B antigens (AB group). A statistically significant association (p < 0.05) was observed between donors lacking ABO antigens and those possessing both A and B antigens across all TTI-positive cases. The highest positivity rates for TTIs were observed in donors without any antigens, except for HIV, where donors with the B antigen exhibited the highest positivity rate (32.06%), slightly surpassing those without any antigens (31.3%). However, this difference was minimal. In Rhesus negative blood donors, percentage of HBV, HCV and HIV positivity was slightly lower (2.31%, 2.2%, 1.53%, respectively) than the HBV, HCV and HIV negative donors (2.85% in all). Whereas, in Rhesus positive donors, percentage of HBV, HCV and HIV positivity was higher (97.69%, 97.8%, 98.47%, respectively) than the HBV, HCV and HIV negative donors (97.15% in all), but the association was not statistically significant. For syphilis, a divergent pattern was observed between Rhesus-negative and Rhesus-positive blood donors among both syphilis positive and negative cases, but this association was also not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The magnitude of TTIs in Rhesus-negative donors (2.84%) was lower compared to Rhesus-positive donors (97.16%) (Table S1, Supplementary File).
Multiple (Mixed) TTI positivity
Among the 39 donors who tested positive for multiple TTIs, all were replacement donors (Table S2, Supplementary File).
HBV and HCV dual positivity: 12 donors (0.038%) were positive, 10 (0.031%) of whom belonged to the O Rhesus-positive blood group.
HBV and syphilis dual positivity: 2 donors (0.006%) were positive: one with A Rhesus-positive and one with O Rhesus-positive blood groups.
HCV and HIV dual positivity: 6 donors (0.019%) were positive: 1 with A Rh-positive, 3 with B Rh-positive, and 2 with O Rh-positive blood groups.
HCV and syphilis dual positivity: 2 donors (0.006%) were positive: one with AB-positive and one with B Rhesus-negative blood groups.
HIV and syphilis dual positivity: 16 donors (0.05%) were positive: 5 with A-positive, 2 with AB-positive, 3 with B-positive, and 6 with O-positive blood groups.
Triple TTI positivity (HCV, HIV, and syphilis): Only 1 donor (0.003%) was found to have triple infections, belonging to the B-positive blood group.
TTI positivity rate by demographic variables
When analyzing the frequency of individual TTIs by various demographic criteria, significant associations were observed with age group (p < 0.0001) and locality (p = 0.0008). Other demographic variables such as gender, religion and donor type failed to demonstrate any significant associations with the TTI positivity rate. Out of a total of 333 female donors, only one donor, having blood group “O” Rhesus-positive, tested positive for TTI (syphilis).
Age group
The prevalence of TTIs showed a decreasing trend with increasing age until 40 years, followed by a rise among middle-aged donors, with a sudden peak in the 46–50-year age group (14.63%). This age group exhibited particularly high positivity rates for HBV (2.09%) and syphilis (9.85%) compared to other age groups. Conversely, HCV (3.07%) and HIV (0.8%) were most prevalent in the 18–25-year age group. The 36–40-year age group demonstrated the lowest TTI prevalence (1.54%), which was consistent across all TTIs: HBV (0.39%), HCV (0.36%), HIV (0.14%), and syphilis (0.65%).
Locality
Except for syphilis, other TTIs were more prevalent among urban blood donors compared to rural donors (3.23% vs. 3.02%).
Religious communities
Donors from the Islamic community had the highest TTI positivity rate (3.35%), followed by Buddhist (3.16%), Sikh (3.09%), Hindu (3.03%), and Christian donors (2.9%).
HBV prevalence was highest among Christian donors (1.04%).
HCV prevalence was highest among Sikh donors (1.43%).
HIV (0.52%) and syphilis (1.14%) were most prevalent among Islamic donors.
Donation type
The prevalence of TTIs was higher, though not statistically significant, among replacement donors (3.14%) than voluntary donors (0.84%). All five TTIs were more prevalent in replacement donors compared to voluntary donors (Table 4).
Multivariate analysis (Table S3, Supplementary File) revealed a statistically significant association between the overall prevalence of TTIs and both age (p < 0.0001) and locality (p = 0.01).
