Donating blood when sick.

Hi CarbonRobot

Opinion, not fact:

Symptoms of the cold or flu are similar to many illnesses that are far worse than these seasonal illnesses. As a result, they wait until symptoms are cleared to ensure you don't have some illness that is much more contagious and transmittable.

Well I guess that's fair, but I never have a fever. Just runny nose.

I'm not entirely sure of the guidelines, but it could also be because the pathogen causing the influenza is found in the bloodstream during an infection? I don't think a runny nose should be of any concern though.

According to this article:


That being said, if the flu virus has never been detected in the blood, why should they deny a donator? I suppose they are just practicing the 'better safe than sorry' approach, and don't want to potentially taint the good blood with bad stuff.

Best to just wait till you show no symptoms, including the runny nose. Everyone is so sensitive these days