Blood Donation Eligibility Guidelines

General
To give blood, you must be healthy, at least 17 years old, and weigh at least 110 pounds.

Specific

AIDS
Do not give blood to get an AIDS test. Please see your own doctor or local health department to get tested. We are required to report all positive HIV results to public health officials.

If you have any reason to believe you have AIDS, do not donate blood. You risk harming a vulnerable patient who needs blood transfusions. With new, advanced tests, the risk of transmitting HIV through a blood transfusion is 1 in 1.5 million.

However, before blood is drawn, we must ensure that a donor does not display the high risk behaviors associated with certain infectious diseases. Do not give blood if you are at risk for getting and spreading the AIDS virus. According to the Food and Drug Administration, you are at risk if:

• you are a male who has had sex with another male since 1977, even once
• you have ever used a needle, even once, to take any illegal drugs or steroids
• you have taken clotting factor concentrates for a bleeding disorder such as hemophilia
• you have ever had a positive test for AIDS (HIV) or AIDS antibody or antigen
• you have AIDS or one of its symptoms,which include:
  • unexplained weight loss (10 pounds or more in less than 2 months)
  • night sweats
  • blue or purple spots on or under the skin
  • long-lasting white spots or unusual sores in your mouth
  • lumps in your neck, armpits, or groin that last more than a month
  • fever higher than 99 degrees that lasts more than 10 days
  • diarrhea lasting over a month
  • persistent cough and shortness of breath
• you have had sex with any person described above in the last 12 months
• you have been given money or drugs for sex since 1977
• you were born in or lived in (for more than one year) Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Niger, or Nigeria since 1977
  • you received blood transfusions or medical treatment with a blood product in any of these countries since 1977
  • you had sex with anyone who was born in or lived in any of these countries since 1977

AIDS Exposure

• defer 12 months if health care worker exposed to blood of patients with HIV infection by a needle stick or open wound

Allergy

• defer temporarily if breathing difficulty is present

Asthma

• accept if controlled

Blood Pressure

• accept with or without medications if blood pressure is within American Red Cross limits on day of donation

Blood Transfusion

• defer for 12 months

Cancer

• accept:
  • if 5 years from date of diagnosis, surgery or last radiation treatment
  • if no recurrence
  • if no chemotherapy
  • some types of skin cancer
• defer:
  • leukemia or lymphoma
  • recurrence of same cancer (except squamous or basal cell)

Cold, Flu or Sore Throat

• defer temporarily for active cold or flu symptoms such as fever, sore throat, productive cough, or general fatigue on day of donation

Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD)

• defer indefinitely if at increased risk, a history of, diagnosed, or if any relatives have been diagnosed
• see Travel Outside of U. S. section (bottom of page)

Dental

• accept teeth cleaning, scaling, root canal, fillings and tooth extraction if no infection present
• defer 3 days for oral surgery, abscesses or infection

Diabetes

• accept two weeks after initial dosage of insulin or change of dosage
• defer indefinitely if, since 1980, received an injection of bovine (beef) insulin made from cattle from the United Kingdom
• Donation Intervals (for whole blood)
• accept every 8 weeks (or every 56 days)
• accept 3 days after routine plateletpheresis
• accept 28 days after routine plasmapheresis

Epilepsy

• accept if seizure-free for 3 months with or without medications

Heart Disease/Surgery

• evaluated individually, must have no restrictions on physical activity, be symptom-free and on no medication for heart disease except for aspirin
• 6-month wait after heart attack if above criteria met
• accept musculoskeletal (non-cardiac) chest pain
• 6-month deferral for non-diagnosed heart related chest pain
• accept pacemaker if pulse and above criteria met

Hemoglobin

• each donor's hemoglobin is tested at the blood collection site
• if deferred, deferral is only temporary and donor may try again next day

Hepatitis/Unexplained Jaundice

• defer indefinitely hepatitis/yellow jaundice or liver disease of unknown origin on or after age 11
• defer indefinitely if ever used a needle, even once to take any illegal drugs or steroids
• accept jaundice or hepatitis associated with birth, medications, bile duct obstruction, or hepatitis before age 11
• defer confirmed positive HBsAg, repeat reactive anti-HCV or anti-HBc at any age

Hepatitis Exposure

• defer 12 months for close contact with hepatitis patient (close contact is defined as sexual contact or sharing same household, kitchen, and/or toilet facilities) or as membership group, e. g. dormitory, in which multiple cases of hepatitis have occurred
• defer 12 months someone who is a current inmate of a correctional institution (including jails, prisons or detention centers) or someone who has been incarcerated for more than 72 consecutive hours during previous 12 months or someone who has been in a chronic long-term psychiatric/mental institution for more than 28 days
• defer 12 months following blood transfusion, blood injections, tattoo, non-sterile needle stick/body piercing or blood contact with open wound, non-intact skin or mucous membrane
• defer 12 months following human bite that resulted in a wound which broke the skin
• accept casual contact (no contact with blood or body fluids)
• defer 12 months for intranasal use of cocaine or any street drug
• accept health care workers working with hepatitis/HIV positive patients providing:
  • there is no contact with blood through nonsterile percutaneous innoculation (needle stick), an open wound, non-intact skin or mucous membrane
• accept sterile body piercing

Immunization/Vaccination

• defer 4 weeks for German Measles (Rubella), MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) and Chicken Pox vaccine (Varivax)
• defer 3 weeks for exposure to the following (unless immunized or had the disease):
  • Red Measles
  • German Measles
  • Chicken Pox
  • Mumps
• defer 3 weeks for exposure to meningitis
• defer 2 weeks for Red Measles (Rubeola), Mumps, Oral Polio, Small Pox and Yellow Fever vaccine
• defer 7 days for hepatitis B vaccine when given for protection and not exposure (for exposure see Hepatitis Exposure section)
• accept hepatitis A vaccine
• accept most other immunizations/ vaccinations, e.g. flu, tetanus, providing donor is symptom-free and fever-free

Infectious Mononucleosis

• accept if recovered

Malaria

• defer 3 years after last symptom
• see Travel Outside of U.S. section

Medications

• defer indefinitely for Pituitary-Derived Human Growth Hormone and Tegison
• defer 3 years from last dose of Soriatane
• defer 8 weeks for injections of radioactive material
• defer 4 weeks for Accutane, Proscar, Propecia & Gold therapy
• defer 2 weeks for any change in insulin dose
• defer for 2 days from last dose of oral or intramuscular antibiotics or antifungal unless taking for chronic condition
• defer for 2 days from last dose of antivirals

Organ/Tissue Transplants

• defer 12 months for allogeneic organ or tissue transplants, including dental powder
• defer if received dura mater transplant
• accept autologous transplants if only autologous received

Pregnancy

• defer while pregnant
• defer 6 weeks after uncomplicated third trimester or term delivery or caesarean section
• defer 12 months if delivery required a blood transfusion
• accept nursing mothers

Serious Illness

• donors will be individually evaluated
• defer indefinitely Kaposi's sarcoma, Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, Chagas Disease, Babesiosis, Lyme Disease, and Leishmaniasis

Sickle Cell

• defer for sickle cell disease
• accept for sickle cell trait

Skin Disease and Rash

• donors will be individually evaluated
• phlebotomy site must be free of rash/skin disease

Surgery

• accept history of recent surgery if:
  • underlying illness does not disqualify donor
  • stitches/staples dissolved or removed
  • wound is healed
  • donor has resumed normal activity and is feeling well
• accept minor cuts requiring stitches/staples after 48 hours if no signs of infection

Syphilis/Gonorrhea

• defer if have had or have been treated for in last 12 months
• defer if positive test for syphilis in past 12 months
• documentation of treatment may be required

Travel Outside of U.S.

• defer 12 months for travel into areas with a risk of malaria
• defer 3 years after having lived for 1 year or more in a malarial-risk area
• defer indefinitely if during 1980 - 1996 spent a total time that adds up to 6 months or more in the United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Isle of Man, Channel Islands)
• see AIDS section