Incidence of HIV infection & its predictors in blood donors in Delhi.

The concurrence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and syphilis and the trend that these infections have followed in blood donors during the last eight years from 1989 to 1997 were studied at a Zonal Blood Testing Centre in New Delhi. Overall, HIV was positive in 0.068 per cent blood donors in this period. A significant rise was found in HIV infection (particularly in a small subgroup of voluntary donors) after 1995 and in VDRL reactivity after 1993. However, no significant increase was found in hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positivity. HIV seroprevalence in replacement donors, which represents the low risk general population, increased gradually from 0 in 1991 to an average of 0.060 per cent in 1997. HbsAg and VDRL reactivity was present in 12.2 and 11.8 per cent of HIV positive cases while it was present in 1.2 and 2.3 per cent of HIV negative cases respectively. HBsAg was found 10.4 times and VDRL reactivity 5.9 times more often in HIV positive donors as compared to HIV negative donors. Thus, HIV infection is likely to be more prevalent in communities with a high HBsAg positivity and VDRL reactivity.