The use of blood donor data for HIV surveillance purposes.

We reviewed the use of HIV prevalence data from blood donors for surveillance purposes and for the estimation of HIV prevalence. Fifty countries with generalized epidemics were considered. Data on HIV prevalence in blood donors were compared with published estimates of adult HIV prevalence. In most of the 19 countries with similar estimates, blood donations came primarily from replacement donors. Our analysis suggests that blood donors are usually not a good proxy for the general population.