Condition |
Permanent or Temporary Disqualification |
Comments |
Participation in certain high-risk activities |
Permanent |
This includes any positive test for HIV, ever. High-risk activities include |
Activities that increase risk of HIV infection |
Temporary |
The FDA has changed recommendations for certain other high-risk activities from permanent to temporary (for up to 12 months) disqualification from last such activity. Activities include |
Anemia (a low level of hemoglobin in the blood) |
Temporary |
People can donate blood after the anemia resolves. |
Asthma, severe |
Permanent |
— |
Bleeding disorders, congenital |
Permanent |
— |
Permanent |
People cannot donate even if they are cancer-free. |
|
Cancers, other |
Temporary |
People may donate if they are cancer-free and treatment was completed more than 12 months previously. People with mild, treatable forms (such as small skin cancers) may be able to donate before 12 months. |
Drugs (some), such as acitretin, dutasteride, etretinate, finasteride, and isotretinoin |
Temporary |
How long people have to wait depends on the drug. Most drugs do not disqualify people from donating blood. |
Heart disease, severe |
Permanent |
— |
Hepatitis, illness |
Permanent |
People who have ever had hepatitis due to a virus cannot donate blood. |
Hepatitis, exposure to |
Temporary |
People must wait 12 months after possible exposure (for example, living with or having sex with a person with hepatitis, being incarcerated in a correctional facility for more than 72 hours, or having a human bite that broke the skin). |
Temporary |
People can donate after their blood pressure is controlled. |
|
Possible exposure to prion diseases, such as variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (also called mad cow disease) |
Permanent |
Exposure may occur when |
Malaria or exposure to malaria |
Temporary |
People must wait 1–3 years. |
Pregnancy |
Temporary |
Women must wait 6 weeks after giving birth. |
Major surgery if recent |
Temporary |
— |
Tattoos |
Temporary |
People must wait 12 months. |
Transfusions |
Temporary or permanent |
People who received a transfusion in the United States must wait 12 months. People who received a transfusion in the United Kingdom since 1980. |
Vaccines (some) |
Temporary |
How long people have to wait depends on the vaccine. |
Temporary |
For recent Zika virus infection, the U.S. FDA recommends a 120-day deferral from resolution of symptoms or the last positive test, whichever is longer. The FDA no longer recommends screening donor for risk factors; instead, all donor blood is to be tested for the Zika virus. |
|
FDA = Food and Drug Administration; HIV = human immunodeficiency virus. |