Human immunodeficiency virus positive blood donors pose a risk to blood safety. The Southeastern United States has the highest reported HIV infection rates. Access to health care, cultural trends, income inequality, poverty, and resistance to advanced diagnostic and prevention techniques are all driving factors of the HIV rates in this area of the country. In this paper we calculate HIV prevalence, incidence, and residual risk.
American Red Cross donations and testing data from 2009 to 2014 from three Southeastern collection regions, were used to calculate HIV prevalence, incidence, and residual risk
From 2009 to 2014, a total of 236 HIV positive donors occurred in these regions for an overall prevalence of 8.3 per 100,000 donations. There were 56 incident donors over the 6-year period with incidence decreasing from 7.1 per 100,000 person-years in the first two years (2009–2010) to 3.5 in the last two years (2013–2014). Residual risk decreased from 1 in 562,000 to 1 in 1,100,000. The most commonly reported risk factor behavior in male incident donors was men who have had a sexual relation with other men.
HIV prevalence and incidence among blood donors in the Southeastern United States are higher than other US regions. However, the overall residual risk estimates are less than 1 per million. Ongoing monitoring of the blood supply along with educational efforts to provide infected individuals with information about risks for the receiver and inform them of possible alternatives blood donations.
Transfusion. 2016 Nov 2.
Prevalence, incidence, and risk factors of human immunodeficiency virus infection in blood donors in the Southeastern United States.
Crowder LA, Steele WR, Notari EP 4th, Hopkins CK, Lima JL, Foster GA, Townsend RL, Krysztof DE, Dodd RY, Stramer SL.