Human immunodeficiency virus infection in the blood donors of Delhi, India.

In the present study, blood from paid and unpaid donors was screened for the presence of HIV infection using a competitive ELISA test. None of the 8,000 unpaid donors but 4 (0.23%) of the 1,700 paid donors showed evidence of HIV infection. All of these four ELISA-positive samples were confirmed by the Western blot test. The present study indicates that HIV infection has entered the group of paid donors in the Delhi metropolitan area. Careful donor screening, discouraging use of paid donors, and stringent screening of donated units of blood has become mandatory in India to prevent HIV transmission through blood and blood products.