HIV seropositivity and its ethical implications for blood donors in a tertiary care hospital of Andhra Pradesh

Background: Blood is a scarce, but lifesaving resource; it is also the most efficient vehicle for the transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Hence there is a need for accurate screening of HIV among blood donors. The present study was designed to assess the seroprevalence of HIV, among the blood donors in a terti- ary care hospital, Andhra Pradesh. Methods: Prospective study over a period of one year. A total of 5,329 donor blood samples were screened for HIV status using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The reactive samples have been tested again twice using different kits. The samples reactive all three times were considered positive. The samples which were positive only in first test were labelled as false positive. Results: Out of 5,329 blood donors screened, 27 (0.5%) were initially reactive and 15 (0.28%) were reactive after triple testing. Conclusions: Our study showed similar HIV seroprevalence as that reported by National acquired immunode- ficiency syndrome control organization statistics. But there was a mild increase in HIV prevalence among rural donors in our region compared to the urban donors.