As a public service for blood donors and recipients, and as diligent stewards of the community blood supply, Carter BloodCare shares the following information regarding the mpox (monkeypox) virus and blood donations:
The community blood supply is safe
The blood supply remains safe, both for donors and patients. Worldwide, there have been no reports of transmission of mpox through blood transfusions.
Many safeguards are in place
Numerous safeguards, as regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), ensure the testing and safety of the nation’s blood supply.
Further, measures to determine eligibility during pre-donation health screening prevent individuals with symptomatic infections from giving blood.
Donors must be in good health at the time of donation. Anyone with a confirmed or suspected case of mpox will be deferred from donating, consistent with other illnesses such as COVID-19, influenza and the common cold.
Carter BloodCare follows donor eligibility requirements
Carter BloodCare has established these guidelines for donor eligibility as it relates to the monkeypox virus:
- Exposure to mpox: 21-day deferral from donating blood, plasma or platelets
- Recovery from mpox infection: 21-day deferral after last symptom or sign of illness
- Receipt of vaccine (regardless of exposure), Jynneos mpox vaccine: 21-day deferral after last dose
There continues to be an urgent need for donors
Some blood types, such as O negative, are critical. O negative donors are crucial because their universal blood type can be used to treat any patient, regardless of individual type.
When you donate blood with Carter BloodCare, you help neighbors in need, such as accident and severe trauma patients; those undergoing cancer treatments; children with anemia, including sickle cell; mothers experiencing hemorrhaging during childbirth; older adults with age-related health issues; and many others.
There is only one solution to help patients in urgent and critical need: consistent action by all eligible people to give blood. Whole blood can be donated every 56 days, double red cells every 112 days, plasma every four weeks, and platelets every two weeks.
Carter BloodCare donors may give blood starting at age 16 with parental consent; those 17 and older can give independently. There is no upper age limit for giving blood.
Additional resources
America’s Blood Centers / Safety of U.S. Blood Supply
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention / About Mpox
World Health Organization / Mpox Q&A