Is there a way to get off the blood-donor blacklist?!
Question:
Is there a way to get off the blood-donor blacklist?
My best friend wants to donate plasma, but a couple years ago he had a FALSE HIV test. He had antibodies for the disease, but not the disease itself. But he's been blacklisted anyway. Is there a way to get him off the blacklist so he can donate blood and plasma?
Answers:
Nonprofit blood donation eligibility is determined by the Food and Drug Administration (blood is considered a drug). This blood will be transfused into a human being.
For-profit blood donation (i.e., you are paid for your plasma) is determined by the companies purchasing your plasma; they may set virtually any eligibility guidelines they choose because they are purchasing your plasma to use in research and in manufacturing drugs.
It is my understanding that if an ELISA test for HIV antibodies is positive, the test is repeated to assure accuracy and that if the test is considered a false positive, the Western Blot test is then administered. Was your friend tested by the blood bank, or by a physician? ELISA is usually the screening test used by blood banks. False positives can result from the presence of antibodies directed at other infections or by autoimmune diseases such as lupus.
The ultimate answer to this question is: Donating blood is a privilege, not a right; blood banks are extremely conservative and must follow FDA regulations regarding eligibility. In most cases, if there is a chance the blood is not safe, it will be discarded and/or the donor will be deferred (refused).
Your friend may wish to contact the blood bank/plasma center with this question as well.