Can you donate blood or plasma if you have herpes?

Can you donate blood if you have herpes?

At the American Red Cross, genital herpes is not a cause for deferral if you are feeling healthy and well and you meet all the other eligibility rules. The NIH Clinical Center says You cannot donate with herpes or a cold sore when the lesions are active.

You can donate if the lesions are dry and almost healed. The American Red Cross eligibility page does not mention cold sores. The genital-herpes sentence does not cover a sore on your mouth. AABB names cold sores, as gingivostomatitis and orolabial ulcers, and it does not say you can donate with one.

Although all blood banks are required to follow general federal regulations, specific criteria may vary, depending on each blood bank's internal policies. The FDA says you must be in good health and free of infections that can be transmitted through a blood transfusion. Not feeling well on the day of donation can defer you. Syphilis or gonorrhea is a separate rule: wait 3 months after treatment.

Can you donate plasma if you have herpes?

KEDPLASMA says you can still donate if you have had or been exposed to certain STDs, and genital herpes is on that list. In these cases, there is a three-month delay after full recovery and completion of treatment.

A later paragraph names only chlamydia and gonorrhea. Those are temporary disqualifiers, and they will not prevent you from donating later. Genital herpes is not in that paragraph.

CSL Plasma, BioLife, Grifols Plasma, Octapharma Plasma, and Interstate Blood Bank do not mention herpes, cold sores, or herpes antivirals, so ask the center you will use. KEDPLASMA reviews your current medications at the pre-screening exam and does not name herpes on that requirements page.

Can you donate while taking valacyclovir or acyclovir?

No source says you may donate while taking valacyclovir, acyclovir, or famciclovir. The American Red Cross and the NIH blood bank do not name those drugs.

In almost all cases, medications will not disqualify you as a blood donor. Your eligibility will be based on the reason the medication was prescribed, and donation is usually permitted when the condition is under control and you are healthy. Acyclovir, valacyclovir, and famciclovir are not named on the American Red Cross eligibility page or on its medication-deferral list.

AABB names acyclovir, famciclovir, and valacyclovir as drugs used to treat herpes virus infections. It does not say whether you may donate while taking them.

These waits are for antibiotics, not for valacyclovir, acyclovir, or famciclovir, and antibiotics are a different kind of drug. The American Red Cross says to wait until you have finished oral antibiotics for a bacterial or viral infection, and the NIH says you can donate 24 hours after the last dose if you have no further signs of infection. BioLife says you should be able to come back after antibiotics for an infection once you have finished and the symptoms are gone, typically 2 to 7 days after the prescription ends. If your prescription never comes up, ask the center you will use, and CSL says to take medication, condition, and procedure questions to a Medical Staff Associate.

Do blood banks and plasma centers test for herpes?

Herpes simplex is not on the FDA's list of infections that blood is tested for, or in the 21 CFR 630.3 list. AABB says No FDA-licensed blood donor screening test exists. KEDPLASMA screens donors for STDs and does not put genital herpes on the list of STDs that prevent donation.

After you donate, blood establishments must test that unit for relevant transfusion-transmitted infections or, for certain infections, implement pathogen reduction technology when appropriate. These infections include hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV types 1 and 2, HTLV types I and II, syphilis, West Nile virus, Babesia, and Chagas disease. 21 CFR 630.3 names the same group without Babesia, and adds CJD, variant CJD, and malaria. AABB's sheet includes herpes simplex viruses 1 and 2, and no specific donor question is in use.

Source plasma donations have to be tested for HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C. A syphilis test for those donors is required on a sample under the plasmapheresis rule. Those donations do not have to be tested for HTLV, West Nile virus, or Chagas disease.

Interstate Blood Bank says Each donation is thoroughly tested for various infectious agents including Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, HIV and Syphilis. Herpes simplex is not in that sentence. KEDPLASMA screens every donor for STDs and does a physical exam before donation. The STDs it names as preventing donation include HIV, hepatitis B and C, HTLV, and syphilis, and genital herpes is not among them. What a herpes test can show is in the herpes test guide.

Do you get paid to donate plasma?

Yes, plasma donors are compensated, and each collection facility sets its own rate. People are compensated for their commitment and effort as donating plasma can be a lengthy process, and one that typically involves frequent donation.

A second PPTA page says source plasma donors may be compensated. The FAQ compares that modest stipend to the gift cards and other tokens blood donors receive. The American Red Cross eligibility page does not say whether its donors are paid. A paid donor is a person who receives monetary payment for a blood donation. A volunteer donor does not receive monetary payment, and time off work, membership in a blood assurance program, and cancellation of nonreplacement fees are not payment when they cannot readily be turned into cash.

CSL Plasma loads payment onto a reloadable debit card when the donation ends, ready to use immediately, and the amount depends on your weight that day. New donors can receive up to $100 on the first donation and up to $800 in the first month as a new donor, and both vary by location and are subject to change. Octapharma loads compensation onto a prepaid debit card within 24 hours of a successful donation. Donors can earn up to $750 with bonuses during the first 35 days, and that amount may vary by location and change without notice.

Grifols Plasma puts compensation on a prepaid debit card after each donation, rates vary by location, and the appointment lasts around an hour. BioLife says donating puts some extra money in your pocket, and that page names no dollar amount. Interstate Blood Bank compensates whole-blood donors for their time. The KEDPLASMA pages here do not print a dollar amount, so ask that center.

When should you wait to donate?

Wait if you do not feel well on the day of donation. At the NIH Clinical Center you cannot donate while herpes or cold-sore lesions are active, and you can once they are dry and almost healed.

If you have a fever or an active infection, the American Red Cross says to wait until the infection has resolved completely before donating blood. It does not name herpes.

You are not eligible if you are not in good health, or if the center finds anything that could make the donation less safe for you or for the blood itself. The phlebotomy site, where the needle goes into your arm, must be free of infection, inflammation, and lesions, not a herpes sore elsewhere on your body. For a cold or the flu, the NIH says You can donate once you have been symptom-free for 48 hours. BioLife says a cold or the flu can leave you run-down and dehydrated, so reschedule until you feel healthy and no longer show signs of illness, and come back when you are feeling better.

Octapharma says it is best to postpone until you are fully recovered, because colds, flu, COVID-19, or infections can temporarily disqualify you and a cold or the flu can mean a short-term deferral. KEDPLASMA's three-month delay comes after full recovery and completion of treatment for the STD list that includes genital herpes, and the American Red Cross does not set that three-month wait when you are feeling healthy and well and meet all the other eligibility rules. AABB says No FDA Guidance or AABB Standard exists. If you have symptomatic primary genital or orolabial HSV, you may not feel well on donation day and would often be deferred, and if you report recurrent HSV the practice varies by center.

The outbreak guide covers what an outbreak does. For what the diagnosis changes, and what it does not, see is herpes a big deal.