Both the U.S. blood supply and organ transplants are safe.
Blood Transfusions & Organ Donation
Page Highlights:
Our Nation's Blood Supply
In the early years of the HIV epidemic, blood transfusions and blood products were a prime source of HIV infection. In 1985, however, an HIV test became available, and screening of all blood donations became mandatory. Of those who contracted HIV through blood transfusions or products, nearly all did so before 1985.
The U.S. blood supply is now among the safest in the world:
- All blood donors are prescreened for HIV risk factors.
- Three different HIV screening tests, including the p24 antigen test, are performed on all donated blood.
- Blood and blood products that test positive for HIV are safely discarded and are not used for transfusions. Donors whose blood tests positive for HIV are notified by the collecting agency.
It is important to know that you cannot get HIV from donating blood. Blood collection procedures are highly regulated and safe.
If you know in advance that you are going to need blood for surgery, you can choose to donate and store your own blood with a blood banking service. This is called an autologous donation.
Using Blood Donation to Learn Your HIV Status
Some people think that donating blood is a more private way to learn their HIV status than asking their doctor for an HIV test or visiting a clinic. You should not donate blood to find out if you are HIV-positive.
Why? Because the HIV tests used to screen donor blood are highly accurate—but they aren't perfect. If you have been infected with HIV recently, even the most sensitive test may not show it, but you could still infect others who receive your blood.
If you have engaged in high-risk sexual or drug taking behaviors, you should not donate blood. To learn your HIV status, go to www.HIVtest.org 
and find an HIV testing center. By taking an HIV test, you can protect your own health, as well as the health of people who need blood!
For more information, see CDC's How safe is the blood supply in the United States?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the U.S. blood supply and safeguards over 3.5 million blood transfusion recipients each year. The FDA also certifies all assay test kits used to detect diseases in donated blood. Each unit of donated blood is tested for:
- Hepatitis B and C (HBV and HCV)
- Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV 1 and HIV2)
- Human T-Lymphotropic Virus (Types I and II)
- Syphilis
For more information, see FDA's Keeping Blood Transfusions Safe.
Organ/Tissue Transplants
The risks of transplant-related HIV infection are low. All donor organs are screened for infectious diseases, including HIV.
But HIV tests do not always detect the virus in people with very recent infection. In 2007, there were four documented cases of HIV spread through organ transplants. These were the first cases in 20 years, and they were linked to a single donor, who tested negative for HIV in pre-transplant testing.
Patients awaiting organ transplant need to be aware of the very small risk of HIV infection—and to balance that risk against their particular health needs and the limited availability of donor organs.
The CDC has issued criteria designed to identify "high-risk" organ donors and to exclude them from donating organs or tissue in most circumstances. Because of the very limited number of organs available for transplant, however, the CDC's guidelines state that high-risk donors are acceptable if "the risk to the recipient of not performing the transplant is deemed to be greater than the risk of HIV transmission and disease."
Last revised: 10/11/2010
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