AABB2025: No Change in HIV Prevalence in Blood Collections Following Implementation of IDA

In the first 15 months following the implementation of individual donor assessment (IDA) protocols, there were no increases in HIV and hepatitis B virus in collected blood, according to new data presented during the oral plenary session on Sunday.  

The data, presented by Emilya Huseynova, MD, MPH, principal clinical research scientist at the American Red Cross, was based on data from four major blood collectors in the United States: the American Red Cross, New York Blood Center Enterprises, Vitalant and OneBlood. Huseynova and her team assessed data from blood collections in the 15 months prior to implementation of IDA (when time-based deferrals remained in place), and 15 months following the implementation of IDA. The prevalence of HIV, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus and syphilis in donations was compared for these two periods.

In total, 18,154,161 donations were evaluated, almost equally divided between pre-IDA and post-IDA. The data showed that HIV and hepatitis B virus remained stable between pre-IDA and post-IDA. The prevalence of hepatitis C virus decreased slightly (10.23 to 8.99 per 100,000 donations) between pre-IDA and post-IDA, while the prevalence of syphilis increased (35.43 to 45.20 per 100,000 donations). “Increased syphilis rates are consistent with national data for the general population and should be addressed as part of more comprehensive public health efforts,” Huseynova said.

Huseynova noted that a further assessment of the data indicated that slight increases in HIV prevalence were seen in several population subgroups, including donors aged 25-54 years and those identifying as Hispanic/Latino. She said these findings warrant additional ongoing monitoring. “Monitoring over time will allow more robust prevalence and will allow incidence measures to confirm these early findings,” Huseynova said.