Blood and blood products

HIV transmission through blood and blood products is extremely rare in the UK, as we have a very safe blood supply. The introduction of a viral inactivation system in 1985 and of regulations restricting donations to the National Blood Service (NBS) have been very successful, with only five cases of transmission through this route reported since then.

You can find out more about our stance on these restrictions here.

These five confirmed transmissions of HIV from blood donated in the UK are believed to have been from blood donated by people in the "window period" (this is when the virus in the blood is infectious but it is too early to be detected by a test). The latest of these was in 2003. Because of these five cases, THT continues to support the restrictions imposed by the NBS on who can give blood.

Blood-related diagnoses do still occur in the UK, but they can usually be traced to exposure in countries that do not employ the same safety techniques.

Statistics

As of June 2006, 1,875 people had been infected with HIV through blood or tissue transfer. Approximately 80% of cases were diagnosed before 1991 and before the introduction of the viral inactivation system in 1985. The majority of recent diagnoses are attributed to infections acquired outside of the UK.