Donation of blood is a super noble task you can do ever in your life. In this act, you voluntarily donate your blood which later on transfuses to someone who is in desperate need of it. It is noble because it drags back someone in life.
You might have already been aware of the fact that blood is only taken when your blood is not vitiated in any way. You are properly screened for any disease you might have in your body. You will be denied at a blood donation camp if you are screened positive for HIV, Hepatitis B, and C Virus, West Nile Virus, human T-lymphotropic virus, etc.
But what if someone who has Herpes Virus donates blood? Does the blood you gifted to someone prove infectious to the beneficiary person?
Here a lightning question occurs – Can you give blood if you have Herpes?
Herpes And Blood Donation
Studies concluded that the Herpes infection can be blood-borne. But, there is very little likelihood of HSV transmission through blood transfusion. Hence, they may or may not test you for the herpes virus before donating your blood.
Even if you found HSV positive, you are still allowed to give your blood and your blood in most cases will not prove contagious to the beneficiary.
A guideline issued by the American Red Cross organization states that any person suffering from HSV can donate blood as long as he has no outbreak and that their antiviral course has been completed 48 hours before donating blood.
Now you know that you can give blood if you have herpes but does the same thing also apply to plasma?
Can You Donate Plasma If You Have Herpes?
To find out the answer to this question you need to understand that plasma is an important part of your blood. According to NCBI, primary HSV infection may carry Herpes Virus in plasma. On the other hand, recurrent HSV infection does not carry HSV strain. Patients with recurrent HSV infection do not pose a threat to the beneficiary if they donate Plasma.
Hence you can donate plasma even if you have recurrent HSV positive status.
What about donating blood with an HPV infection?
HPV is another viral host that causes genital infection in humans. This infection commonly spreads by skin-to-skin exposure to someone who has it. Sexual contact is another form of HPV transmission.
It poses a substantial threat of cancer in both men and women. Hence you might not want to end up having an HPV infection in your body during a blood transfusion. So how is it safe if you take blood from an HPV patient?
Until a study done in 2019 on animals, it is thought that you can safely donate blood even if you have HPV. But a 2019 study warns us by stating that blood donation can be a medium of HPV transmission in humans.
More scrutiny is necessary to verify the above animal findings.
Be Responsible During Donating Your Blood
Herpes infection comes with a huge stigma attached to it. Many people choose not to disclose their HSV status fearing that it would lead to exclusion in society. Hence many people irresponsibly conceal the truth about their HSV status during blood donation.
Every hospital and blood donation camp prepares a questionnaire to determine whether or not a person is eligible for blood donation. It is our moral responsibility to fill up the questionnaire with precise information. Doing that will help prevent the diseases that occur during the transfusion of the blood.
Summing Up
The Herpes Virus is a super spreading pathogen that passes from person to person even if there is not a single symptom present. But when it comes to HSV virus transmission through blood donation, the transmission instances become extremely rare.
Most of the time it is completely safe to donate your blood if you have Herpes Virus. Just consult your physician before donating your blood if you have any kind of health issues. They will help you determine whether you are eligible for blood donation.
