Can You Donate Blood If You Have Herpes?
Yes, you can donate blood even though you might have herpes, but certain conditions must be met. Blood centers do not usually test for herpes as it is not a blood-borne disease. Therefore having herpes does not disqualify you from being a blood donor, although it is important to state it prior to donating blood in your medical history!
How Blood Donation Work?
Blood donation is a great act of solidarity and altruism, in which you give blood to someone who needs it [1, 2, 3].
The process starts with registration, which typically includes providing identification and your detailed medical history. Following this, a quick physical examination is also conducted. The reason for a physical examination is to evaluate the donor’s health and their ability to donate blood [2, 4]. In addition, a medical interview which evaluates the aptitude of the donor and checks the absence of exposure to blood-borne diseases is also conducted [5]. To eliminate any risk for the recipient, the donor is also screened for infectious agents or other factors [6, 7].
During the donation, the donor is seated in a chair, and then a small area of their arm is cleaned before a sterile needle is inserted. The blood is then drawn. The typical amount of blood collected is 400 to 600 mL and it takes approximately 8-10 minutes[4, 5]. After the collection, the needle is removed from the arm of the donor and the donor is offered a snack or a drink. It is also recommended for the donor to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before leaving [4].
The blood can be used in numerous ways. It can be transfused as whole blood or separated into red cells, platelets, and plasma for different recipients [4]. However, in addition to whole blood donation, there are also other types of donation. Such can be platelet donation, plasma donation and double red cell donation. All of these are performed using a machine that collects small amounts of blood, separates them into components and returns the unused components back to the donor [4]. This process is called apheresis [4].
What Is Herpes?
Herpes is a name for a viral infection caused by the virus called herpes simplex virus (HSV).
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