Some Reasons for Blood Donation Deferral or Denial*

Reason	Donation Outcome	Comment
AIDS	Denial	Includes any individual who has ever had a positive test for HIV infection Includes any individual who has ever taken any medication to treat HIV infection
Activities that increase risk of HIV infection†	Deferral	Wait for 2 years from last use of any medication given by injection to prevent HIV infection (ie, long-acting antiviral PrEP or PEP) Wait for 3 months from the last use of any medication by mouth (oral) to prevent HIV infection (ie, antiviral PrEP or PEP) Wait for 3 months from last time high-risk activity has taken place. Activities include: Nonprescription injection drug use Engagement in sex for money or drugs New sexual partner or more than one sexual partner in the last 3 months and engaged in anal sex in the last 3 months Sexual contact with a person who ever had a positive HIV test Sexual contact with a person who used nonprescription injection drugs in the past 3 months or a person who engaged in sex for money or drugs in the past 3 months Contact with blood of another individual through a percutaneous needle stick or through contact with a donor’s open wound or mucous membranes Completion of treatment for syphilis or gonorrhea Tattoo, ear, or body piercing unless done by a state-regulated entity with sterile needles and non-reused ink, or done using single-use equipment Receiving an allogeneic transfusion of whole blood or blood components
Anemia	Deferral	Donation permitted after anemia resolves
Asthma, severe	Denial	—
Bovine insulin use (because of risk of variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease)	Denial	People who have ever used bovine insulin since 1980: Ineligible to donate
Cancers involving blood cells (eg, leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma)	Denial	Such people cannot donate even if they are cancer-free
Other cancers (ie, not involving blood cells)	Deferral	People may donate if they are cancer-free and treatment was completed more than 12 months previously People with mild, treatable forms (eg, small skin cancers) that have been completely removed may be able to donate before 12 months
Congenital bleeding disorder	Denial	—
Heart disease, severe	Denial	Any heart disease must be medically evaluated and treated, and the person should have no heart-related symptoms within the last 6 months
Hepatitis exposure	Deferral	Wait 12 months after possible exposure
Hepatitis B or C infection	Denial	Ineligible to donate if ever diagnosed with viral hepatitis B or C, or if ever tested positive for viral hepatitis B or C
Hypertension	Deferral	Defer donation until blood pressure is controlled
Malaria or exposure to malaria	Deferral	Wait 3 years after treatment for malaria or living in an area in which malaria is endemic; wait 12 months after visit to an area in which malaria is endemic
Medications (selected)	Deferral	Waiting period depends on medication, for example: Etretinate: Defer indefinitely
Military personnel residing on US bases in Europe at risk for variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease	Denial	UK, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands: ≥ 6 months between 1980 and 1990 Elsewhere in Europe: ≥ 6 months between 1980 and 1996
Pregnancy	Deferral	Wait 6 weeks after giving birth
Stay in UK or Europe for people at risk of variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease	Denial	UK: Cumulative stay of > 3 months between 1980 and 1996 Europe (except France): Cumulative stay of ≥ 5 years since 1980 France: Cumulative stay of > 5 years since 1980
Transfusion	Deferral	Wait 3 months after a transfusion done in the US
Denial	Recipients of any blood product since 1980 in the UK, France, or Ireland
Vaccinations (selected)	Deferral	Waiting period depends on vaccination: Toxoids or synthetic or killed viral, bacterial, or rickettsial vaccines‡ in symptom-free and afebrile donors: No deferral Measles, mumps, polio (Sabin), or typhoid (oral) vaccines§: Defer for 2 weeks Rubella or varicella vaccines§: Defer for 4 weeks
Zika virus infection	Deferral	For recent Zika virus infection, the US FDA recommends a 120-day deferral from resolution of symptoms or the last positive test, whichever is longer
* Includes data from American Red Cross Blood Donor Eligibility FAQs.
† Reflects FDA May 2023 Guidance document: Recommendations for Evaluating Donor Eligibility Using Individual Risk-Based Questions to Reduce the Risk of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Transmission by Blood and Blood Products.
‡ These vaccines include anthrax, cholera, diphtheria, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, influenza, Lyme disease, paratyphoid, pertussis, plague, pneumococcal polysaccharide, polio (Salk), Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tetanus, and typhoid injection.
§ Recipients of other live-attenuated viral or bacterial vaccines may be deferred 2 or 4 weeks, depending on the vaccine.
FDA = US Food and Drug Administration; PEP = post-exposure prophylaxis; PrEP = pre-exposure prophylaxis; UK = United Kingdom.

Reason

Donation Outcome

Comment

AIDS

Denial

Includes any individual who has ever had a positive test for HIV infection

Includes any individual who has ever taken any medication to treat HIV infection

Activities that increase risk of HIV infection†

Deferral

Wait for 2 years from last use of any medication given by injection to prevent HIV infection (ie, long-acting antiviral PrEP or PEP)

Wait for 3 months from the last use of any medication by mouth (oral) to prevent HIV infection (ie, antiviral PrEP or PEP)

Wait for 3 months from last time high-risk activity has taken place. Activities include:

Nonprescription injection drug use
Engagement in sex for money or drugs
New sexual partner or more than one sexual partner in the last 3 months and engaged in anal sex in the last 3 months
Sexual contact with a person who ever had a positive HIV test
Sexual contact with a person who used nonprescription injection drugs in the past 3 months or a person who engaged in sex for money or drugs in the past 3 months
Contact with blood of another individual through a percutaneous needle stick or through contact with a donor’s open wound or mucous membranes
Completion of treatment for syphilis or gonorrhea
Tattoo, ear, or body piercing unless done by a state-regulated entity with sterile needles and non-reused ink, or done using single-use equipment
Receiving an allogeneic transfusion of whole blood or blood components

Anemia

Deferral

Donation permitted after anemia resolves

Asthma, severe

Denial

—

Bovine insulin use (because of risk of variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease)

Denial

People who have ever used bovine insulin since 1980: Ineligible to donate

Cancers involving blood cells (eg, leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma)

Denial

Such people cannot donate even if they are cancer-free

Other cancers (ie, not involving blood cells)

Deferral

People may donate if they are cancer-free and treatment was completed more than 12 months previously

People with mild, treatable forms (eg, small skin cancers) that have been completely removed may be able to donate before 12 months

Congenital bleeding disorder

Denial

—

Heart disease, severe

Denial

Any heart disease must be medically evaluated and treated, and the person should have no heart-related symptoms within the last 6 months

Hepatitis exposure

Deferral

Wait 12 months after possible exposure

Hepatitis B or C infection

Denial

Ineligible to donate if ever diagnosed with viral hepatitis B or C, or if ever tested positive for viral hepatitis B or C

Hypertension

Deferral

Defer donation until blood pressure is controlled

Malaria or exposure to malaria

Deferral

Wait 3 years after treatment for malaria or living in an area in which malaria is endemic; wait 12 months after visit to an area in which malaria is endemic

Medications (selected)

Deferral

Waiting period depends on medication, for example:

Etretinate: Defer indefinitely

Military personnel residing on US bases in Europe at risk for variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease

Denial

UK, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands: ≥ 6 months between 1980 and 1990

Elsewhere in Europe: ≥ 6 months between 1980 and 1996

Pregnancy

Deferral

Wait 6 weeks after giving birth

Stay in UK or Europe for people at risk of variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease

Denial

UK: Cumulative stay of > 3 months between 1980 and 1996

Europe (except France): Cumulative stay of ≥ 5 years since 1980

France: Cumulative stay of > 5 years since 1980

Transfusion

Deferral

Wait 3 months after a transfusion done in the US

Denial

Recipients of any blood product since 1980 in the UK, France, or Ireland

Vaccinations (selected)

Deferral

Waiting period depends on vaccination:

Toxoids or synthetic or killed viral, bacterial, or rickettsial vaccines‡ in symptom-free and afebrile donors: No deferral
Measles, mumps, polio (Sabin), or typhoid (oral) vaccines§: Defer for 2 weeks
Rubella or varicella vaccines§: Defer for 4 weeks

Zika virus infection

Deferral

For recent Zika virus infection, the US FDA recommends a 120-day deferral from resolution of symptoms or the last positive test, whichever is longer

* Includes data from American Red Cross Blood Donor Eligibility FAQs.

† Reflects FDA May 2023 Guidance document: Recommendations for Evaluating Donor Eligibility Using Individual Risk-Based Questions to Reduce the Risk of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Transmission by Blood and Blood Products.

‡ These vaccines include anthrax, cholera, diphtheria, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, influenza, Lyme disease, paratyphoid, pertussis, plague, pneumococcal polysaccharide, polio (Salk), Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tetanus, and typhoid injection.

§ Recipients of other live-attenuated viral or bacterial vaccines may be deferred 2 or 4 weeks, depending on the vaccine.

FDA = US Food and Drug Administration; PEP = post-exposure prophylaxis; PrEP = pre-exposure prophylaxis; UK = United Kingdom.

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