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Volume 23, Number 9—September 2017
Dispatch

Use of Blood Donor Screening to Monitor Prevalence of HIV and Hepatitis B and C Viruses, South Africa

Marion Vermeulen, Ronel Swanevelder, Dhuly Chowdhury, Charlotte Ingram1, Ravi Reddy, Evan M. Bloch, Brian S. Custer, Edward L. MurphyComments to Author , and for the NHLBI Recipient Epidemiology and Donor evaluation Study-III (REDS-III) International Component
Author affiliations: South African National Blood Service, Johannesburg, South Africa (M. Vermeulen, R. Swanevelder, C. Ingram, R. Reddy); RTI International, Rockville, Maryland, USA (D. Chowdhury); Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA (E.M. Bloch); Blood Systems Research Institute, San Francisco, California, USA (B.S. Custer, E.L. Murphy); University of California, San Francisco (E.L. Murphy)

Main Article

Table

Prevalence of HIV, HBV, and HCV, by demographic characteristics, among persons making blood donations through the South African National Blood Service, January 2012–September 2015*

Characteristic No. first-time donors No. (%)
HIV-positive HBV-positive HCV-positive
Overall
397,640
4,481 (1.13)
2,638 (0.66)
125 (0.03)
Age group, y
<20 185,983 1,139 (0.61) 382 (0.21) 6 (0.00)
20–29 103,373 1,702 (1.65) 999 (0.97) 39 (0.04)
30–39 55,420 1,038 (1.87) 721 (1.30) 17 (0.03)
40–49 33,330 440 (1.32) 366 (1.10) 21 (0.06)
50–59 16,518 146 (0.88) 151 (0.91) 31 (0.19)
>60
3,016
16 (0.53)
19 (0.63)
11 (0.36)
Sex
M 177,729 1,396 (0.79) 1,635 (0.92) 77 (0.04)
F
219,903
3,085 (1.40)
1,003 (0.46)
48 (0.02)
Race/ethnicity†
Black 211,722 4,204 (1.99) 2,355 (1.11) 62 (0.03)
White 122,894 74 (0.06) 80 (0.07) 43 (0.03)
Asian 28,428 28 (0.10) 41 (0.14) 11 (0.04)
SAC 20,246 98 (0.48) 99 (0.49) 5 (0.02)
Unknown
14,350
77 (0.54)
63 (0.44)
4 (0.03)
Province
Eastern Cape 37,055 365 (0.99) 315 (0.85) 4 (0.01)
Free State 20,759 241 (1.16) 68 (0.33) 3 (0.01)
Gauteng 175,623 1,774 (1.01) 967 (0.55) 77 (0.04)
KwaZulu-Natal 80,111 918 (1.15) 728 (0.91) 14 (0.02)
Limpopo 15,661 159 (1.02) 113 (0.72) 7 (0.04)
Mpumalanga 35,720 779 (2.18) 305 (0.85) 8 (0.02)
Northwest 19,205 124 (0.65) 65 (0.34) 7 (0.04)
Northern Cape 10,333 74 (0.72) 57 (0.55) 3 (0.03)

*3,173 donors had missing information on province. HBC, hepatitis B virus; HCV, hepatitis C virus; SAC, South African Colored.
†The Department of Home Affairs in South Africa classifies the South Africa population into 4 race groups: African, Indian, White, and Coloured. The SAC population is an admixed group made up of 5 source populations (African Khoisan, African Bantu, European, South Asian, and East Asian) dating back to slavery and the early settlers.

Main Article

1Current affiliation: South African Bone Marrow Registry, Cape Town, South Africa.

Page created: August 17, 2017
Page updated: August 17, 2017
Page reviewed: August 17, 2017
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
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