Increasing risk of transfusion-associated AIDS as the pandemic spreads: experience in Maiduguri, Nigeria.

Complacency and financial considerations have led many hospitals in developing countries with low HIV antibody prevalence to disregard the importance of pre-screening for HIV antibodies blood meant for transfusion. This report shows that during the year 1987 in which mandatory screening of donated blood was introduced at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, HIV antibody prevalence in donated blood units was 0%. However, four years later the prevalence had risen to 2.76%. This observation underlines the increasing risk to which transfusion recipients are exposed if given unscreened blood as HIV spreads with time. This spread can be rapid.