Prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus infection among voluntary blood donors.

HIV infection was found among voluntary blood donors at the Christian Medical College Hospital, Vellore (south India), the prevalence rate of infection among these donors being 1.63 per 1000. Based on these findings, the authors recommend that appropriate steps be taken immediately by all blood transfusion centres in India to evaluate the prevalence of HIV infection among blood donors and to prevent the transmission of the infection through blood transfusion.