ABSTRACT
Objective: To determine the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus [HIV] in blood donors in a tertiary care hospital blood bank and then compared with prevalence in other reported studies in Pakistan between 1988 and 2016. Study Design: Prospective single centre study with systematic review. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Blood Bank, Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University, PIMS Hospital Islamabad, from Jan 2015 to Dec 2016
Material and Methods: Blood donors were screened for the prevalence of HIV, from Jan 2015 to Dec 2016. Metaanalyses were gathered from the reported HIV incidence in blood donors from across Pakistan during 1988-2016 by searching through Google, Pub Med, and Pak Medi Net [for Pakistani non-indexed journals]
Results: A total of 54,877 blood donors were screened for HIV by Chemiluminescent immunoassay [CLIA], of which 75 [0.13%] male donors were found reactive for HIV. The mean prevalence of HIV from 2006-2016 was 0.06% while 0.13% in 47 studies conducted during the period 1988-2016
Conclusion: The prevalence of HIV in apparently healthy blood donors is steadily increasing in Pakistan. Concerted efforts need to be made to ensure that blood is adequately screened for HIV in every blood bank in the country