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Demographic Factors Among HIV Confirmed Blood Donors from 2013 to 2021 in Shenzhen
Song-Xing Wang1, Li-Yan Sun1, Qiong Yu1
1Shenzhen Blood Center, Shenzhen, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
Insights
HIV prevalence in Chinese blood donors remained higher in males. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted donor demographics and decreased HIV prevalence among repeat donors, enhancing blood supply safety.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Disease Epidemiology
- Public Health
- Blood Transfusion Safety
Background:
- Rising Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infections pose a significant challenge to blood donation in China.
- The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted health services, leading to a global decrease in new diagnoses, including HIV.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze trends in HIV prevalence among blood donors in Shenzhen from 2013 to 2021.
- To assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on blood donor characteristics and HIV prevalence.
Main Methods:
- Screening of 735,247 blood donations using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and Nucleic Acid Test (NAT).
- Confirmatory testing using Western Blot (WB) for reactive samples.
- Statistical analysis employing the Chi-Square test.
Main Results:
- HIV prevalence was consistently higher in male blood donors compared to females (P < 0.01).
- During the COVID-19 pandemic, HIV prevalence among repeat blood donors significantly decreased compared to 2019 (P < 0.05).
- Donor demographics shifted in 2020 compared to 2019 and 2021.
Conclusions:
- A higher proportion of female blood donors contributes to preventing HIV transmission via the blood supply.
- The COVID-19 pandemic altered blood donor demographics and reduced HIV prevalence in repeat donors.
- Increased numbers of repeat blood donors can mitigate the risk of transfusion-transmitted HIV during epidemics.
Background:
New HIV (Human immune deficiency virus) infections are continuously increasing in China and it remains a huge challenge to blood donation. As access to health services has affected by COVID-19 (Corona virus disease 2019) pandemic, a drop in new diagnoses (especially HIV) was observed worldwide.
Methods:
During 2013-2021, 735,247 specimens from unpaid blood donors collected by Shenzhen Blood Center underwent ELISA (Enzyme -linked immunosorbent assay) and NAT (Nucleic acid test). Samples with reactivity results were sent to the Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention for WB (Western blot). All data were statistically analyzed by the Chi-Square test.
Results:
From 2013 to 2021, the prevalence of HIV among male blood donors was higher than in females (P < 0.01). During the COVID-19 pandemic, the prevalence of HIV among repeat blood donors decreased significantly compared to 2019 (P < 0.05), and the characteristics of blood donors changed in 2020 compared to 2019 and 2021.
Conclusion:
The high proportion of female blood donors would help prevent HIV from getting into the blood supply. The COVID-19 pandemic affected the demographics of blood donors as well as the prevalence of HIV among repeat blood donors. An increased number of repeat blood donors can help decrease the risk of HIV transfusion transmission during the epidemic.
