Your blood donor center can best answer your questions about donor deferral. Refer to the AABB Blood Donor History Questionnaire for the list of questions asked during the donor screening process. The medical director of the blood donor center has ultimate authority to establish a more stringent deferral policy based on their clinical judgement as a physician. After the deferral period ends, a donor can return to the blood donor center to be reevaluated and resume donation if all donor eligibility criteria are met.īlood donor centers follow donor eligibility criteria based on requirements of the FDA, AABB Standards, and their own local policies. The period of time a person will not be eligible to donate depends on the specific reason for deferral. A prospective donor may be deferred at any point during the collection and testing process. The use of blood donor screening questions helps to assess the time frame for a potential false-negative test result to reduce the risk of transmission of undetected HIV to a patient.ĭonor deferral means that an individual is not eligible to donate based on the criteria used to protect the health and safety of both the donor and transfusion recipient. The message “Undetectable = Untransmissible” does not apply to blood donation but PrEP is highly effective in preventing sexual transmission of HIV. With a false-negative test result, the person using PrEP can unknowingly transmit a virus to a patient who receives the blood. This is called a false-negative test result, which means that the donor tests negative, but HIV could be present in the donated blood and remain undetectable. When not consistently using PrEP as instructed, an individual who has donated and been exposed to HIV can have undetectable levels of HIV when tested as a blood donor. There are situations where a PrEP-breakthrough infection could happen.
With a false-negative test result, the person can unknowingly transmit a virus to a patient who receives the blood. PrEP works to prevent sexual transmission of HIV, but evidence shows that PrEP can interfere with blood donor screening tests for HIV, as well as diagnostic HIV tests, by creating a false-negative test result. These medications are called pre-exposure and post-exposure prophylaxis, or “PrEP” for short. All donors who have taken a medication to prevent HIV must wait 3 months after the last dose to donate blood.