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).
There are two types of herpes, HSV1 and HSV2, with significant differences between the two. HSV-1 reactivates more efficiently from trigeminal ganglia, causing oral-facial lesions, while HSV-2 reactivates primarily from sacral ganglia, causing genital lesions.
Although both types cause infection in various parts of the body, they are mostly associated with either oral or genital infections [8, 9, 10]. Despite the stigma around herpes, it is a common virus and nothing to be ashamed of [10].
Herpes is quite a prevalent infection and a significant proportion (around 90% of the world’s population under the age of 50) have oral or genital HSV1. The prevalence of HSV2 is much smaller [10].
Herpes can be asymptomatic, which means that the infected individuals can carry the virus without having an outbreak or active episode of herpes.
While HSV1 is most commonly associated with cold sores around the mouth and face, it can also be found as a genital herpes. HSV2 on the other hand typically causes genital herpes, but can also infect the mouth [11].
The symptoms of herpes typically involve small fluid-filled blisters or sores. They appear on the genitals, mouth, or lips and they can also sometimes show up on hands, fingers, and other parts of the body [10].
Herpes is a sexually transmitted disease, but it can also be transmitted in other ways [10].
Can You Donate Blood While Having Herpes?
If you have a medical history of herpes simplex virus 1 or 2, you typically can donate blood. However, one condition under which you can donate blood despite having the virus is that the lesions or infected cold sores must be dry and healed or close to healed. In addition, you should also wait for at least 48 hours after finishing a round of antiviral treatments before donating blood [12].
The same rules go for plasma donation [12]. However, although you might not have the symptoms of the virus yet, you can still carry it as an asymptomatic patient. Therefore, be aware of your health status, follow the guidelines provided by health professionals, and always consult your medical history prior to donating [12].