A cross-sectional survey on HIV infection among residents aged 18-64 years in a rural community with former blood donors, Shanxi Province

Xiaoming Shi, et al.  Chinese Journal of Epidemiology 2005;26:864-866

Abstract 

Objective: To determine the sero-prevalence of and the risk factors for HIV infection among residents aged 18-64years in a rural community with former blood donors (FBDs), Shanxi Province.

Method: A community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among all residents aged 18-64 years in 4 villages in a rural county of Shanxi province. A standardized structured questionnaire was administered to collect socio-demographic, medical and risk behavioral information. Venous blood was collected for HIV antibody testing. Generalized estimating equation with logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors for HIV infection. Population attributable fraction was used to evaluate the role of public health in risk factors for the incidence of HIV. 

Result: 82.5%(3062/3711) of villagers aged 18-64 years participated in the study, among which 40 HIV infected persons were identified in the four villages. HIV prevalence was 1.3% (40/3062), overall, 4.1% (37/904) in FBDs and 0.1% (3/2158) in non-FBDs. Multivariate analysis found that the selling whole blood only (adjusted OR=13.25, 95%CI: 3.02-58.25) and selling plasma or both (adjusted OR=87.85 95%CI: 22.22-347.27) were the independent risk factors for HIV infection in all subjects, and the additive population attributable fraction (PAF) was 89.8%.

Villagers in village 03 had a higher risk to be infected with HIV than those in village 04 (adjusted OR=12.26, 95%CI: 1.46-103.00). 

Conclusion: HIV epidemic in the community with FBDs has a low prevalence in Shanxi and the majority of HIV infections are related to former blood/plasma donation. HIV had not been evidently extended from infected FBDs to the general population.