Question about Blood Donation and HIV. Thanks!?

I know when a person donates blood it is obviously screened for HIV. However, it can take 2-3 months, and sometimes up to 6 months, for it to register on a test after infection. When you donate blood, do they wait the 6 months before they use it? What if someone gave blood, and unknowingly contracted the virus 4 days earlier. They tested it, it came out clean of course because it was so soon, and then they transfused the blood into someone else? They would have to wait 6 months right??

When people donate blood, they are asked about risk factors. If they have any recent risk factors, they are advised to wait to donate blood until after the window period.

(In general, people who have any recent risk factors should not even go to donate blood until after the window period.)

No, they would use it immediately after testing.

The reason is the blood taken for testing will not develop new antibodies after it leaves the body. If they were to wait months later and take new blood samples, that would be a different issue. However one blood sample will give the same result now and in six month, assuming the blood is still viable for testing in six months.

There is a reason they are extremely discriminatory against a lot of groups of people. Just vacationing in western europe countries can disqualify you.

I know that when someone donates they are asked a series of questions about their health. They also screen the blood. If someone is donating to a particular person and it is needed right away then they do the test at the time and go based on word and that test and use it right away. In other cases i know they keep a blood bank and I would imagine that they use the older blood first and test it again before they use it. I really don't know for sure though because it is not my field.

Yeah they have to wait. There is no way they can take that risk, they keep it in blood banks until it is tested.

They are aware of this and yes they wait. Blood is not used right away. It sits, then is tested.

I believe they have safe guards to help prevent things like this from happening.

it would seem like. but most ppl today r careless.

I suppose. Good point.

chills wait