Can You Donate Blood If You Have Herpes Simplex 2

How Long Do Sores From Herpes Simplex Last

If youre infected with HSV-1, commonly known as oral herpes, you may notice tingling or burning around your mouth in the days before a cold sore appears. These blisters break open and ooze fluid before forming a crust. Usually, sores last for seven to 10 days.

If youre infected with HSV-2, commonly known as genital herpes, your first outbreak may last between two to four weeks. Recurrent outbreaks usually last between three to seven days.

Restrictions For Donating Blood If You Have An Std

There are varying timelines for when you can or cannot donate blood with STDs. When in doubt, reach out to your local blood bank and ask for their specific guidelines. You should not donate blood if you suspect you may have human immunodeficiency virus , acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , human T-lymphotropic virus , or hepatitis.

You can never donate blood if you:

• Are HIV positive or receiving HIV treatment
• Are HTLV positiveâ
• Are a carrier of Hepatitis B or C

The American Red Cross says you should not donate if you have done any of the following in the past three months:

• Were a sex worker
• Are a man and had sex with another man
• Had sexual contact with anyone who meets the above-listed criteria
• Injected recreational drugs
• Had a sex partner who is HIV or HTLV positive, a carrier of hepatitis B or C, or a partner who has injected drugs not prescribed by a doctorâ
• Took Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis or Truvada for preventing HIV

If you contracted syphilis or gonorrhea, wait three months following completion of your treatment to donate blood. If you have chlamydia, HPV, or genital herpes, you can still donate blood if you meet the other eligibility requirements.

Genital Herpes Is Common Shouldnt Cdc Recommend Testing For Everyone

CDC recommends herpes testing for people who have genital symptoms to confirm if they have it. Testing allows a healthcare provider to talk with patients about what to expect in the future. This includes talking about medications that help with symptoms. Providers can also tell patients how to lower the risk of transmitting herpes to sex partner.

CDC does not recommend herpes testing for people without symptoms in most situations. This is because of the limits of a herpes blood test and the possibility of a wrong test result. The chances of wrong test results are higher for people who are at low risk of infection.

Blood tests might be useful if:

• You have genital symptoms that could be related to herpes, or
• You have a sex partner with genital herpes, or
• Your provider found signs of herpes, but you still need a test to confirm it.

If you are sexually active, talk openly and honestly with your healthcare provider about what tests are right for you. These tips can help.

Read Also: What To Put On Herpes Scabs

How Does Herpes Simplex Spread

Herpes spreads through close contact with a person who has the infection. The virus can be found in skin and saliva. If you have herpes simplex, you are most likely to pass the virus to another person when you have sores. But you can infect someone else even if you have no symptoms. Healthcare providers call this asymptomatic viral shedding.

People may get HSV-1 through

• Touching a persons skin near the mouth.
• Sharing food utensils, lip balm or razors.
• If you receive oral sex from someone who has a cold sore, it may spread a herpes infection to your genitals.

People may get HSV-2 through

• Oral sex with someone whos infected.
• Skin-to-skin contact without ejaculation.
• Touching open sores, including while breastfeeding.
• Childbirth by a mother or gestational parent who has an active infection.

You cant get genital herpes from objects like toilet seats. But you could pass genital herpes through shared sex toys.

Is It Safe For A Mother To Breastfeed If She Has Active Herpetic Lesions

Maybe. Women with herpetic lesions may transmit HSV to their infants by direct or indirect contact with the lesions. Breastfeeding is acceptable if no lesions are present on the breasts and if active lesions elsewhere on the mother are carefully and fully covered. In cases where a mother has herpetic lesions on her breast, the mother should temporarily refrain from breastfeeding her infant from the affected breast or feeding her infant expressed breast milk from the affected breast. She should discard expressed breast milk from the affected side until the lesions have healed. A mother may breastfeed her infant or express milk from the unaffected breast but should ensure that the lesions on the affected breast are completely covered to avoid transmission. Mothers should also follow appropriate hand hygiene practices to avoid transmission of herpes to her infant.

Providers: Lesions on the breast could easily be mistaken for impetigo or eczema. Questionable lesions should be tested promptly for HSV so that if positive, acyclovir can be administered quickly and breastfeeding can be discontinued until the lesion has healed.

Some mothers may need additional support to maintain their milk production and/or supplement with their expressed human milk or formula while herpetic lesions on the breast are healing. Mothers should talk with their physicians to determine if their lesions have healed and they can resume breastfeeding or expressing milk from the affected breast.

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Accuracy By Test Type

Two blood tests are used to screen for herpes. To ensure that an initial positive result is correct, a second test using a different method of detection is used to confirm the results.

The first test is the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay . An ELISA looks for immune proteins, called antibodies, that are produced by the immune system in response to the HSV. HSV antibodies are present even when there are no symptoms.

If the ELISA result is positive, your healthcare provider may administer a Western blot assay. This second test looks for proteins on the surface of the virus, called antigens, which serve as the virus’ “ID tag.” HSV antibodies produced in response to these antigens help the immune system target its attack.

According to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the accuracy of the two blood used to diagnose herpes breaks down as follows:

Due to its high level of sensitivity and specificity, the Western blot is considered the gold standard of herpes blood testing.

With that said, the accuracy of the tests can be affected by the timing of the tests. For an ELISA to return an accurate result, the immune system needs to produce enough antibodies to reach detectable levels.

Testing too early during the so-called window period can end up causing a false-negative result .

Who Might Get Herpes Simplex

People of any age can contract herpes simplex. You are more likely to get the virus if you:

• Were assigned female at birth.
• Have had multiple sex partners.
• Started having sex at a young age.
• Have a history of any sexually transmitted infection .
• Have a weakened immune system.
• Dont use condoms for intercourse and dental dams for oral sex.

Who gets HSV-1, commonly known as oral herpes?

Anyone can get HSV-1. Most people contract HSV-1 during childhood. It spreads when an adult who has the virus has close contact with a child, such as when a family member kisses a child.

Who gets HSV-2, commonly known as genital herpes?

Genital herpes affects sexually active teens and adults of all genders and races. It can spread if you have multiple sexual partners and dont use condoms or dental dams.

People assigned female at birth are more at risk. Delicate vaginal tissue can tear, making it easier for the infection to get in. Black people who were AFAB are especially vulnerable, with an estimated 1 in 2 people AFAB between the ages of 14 and 49 infected with HSV-2.

Also Check: Is Herpes Transmitted Through Saliva

What The Values Mean

What does that mean for you? How common herpes comes into the calculation. It affects how likely positive tests and negative tests are to be correct. In fact, it can make a bigger difference than herpes blood test accuracy!

Let us make the reasonable assumption that around 50% of the population are infected with HSV1. Thats the virus primarily associated with oral herpes and cold sores. Its also associated with a growing number of genital herpes infections.

Then assume that 25% of people are infected with HSV2. Thats the virus primarily associated with genital herpes. In that scenario, the positive predictive value and negative predictive value are as follows.

ELISA:

• HSV-1: At least 94% of positive tests give the correct result, and at least 99% of negative test will be correct.
• HSV-2: At least 98% of positive tests are correct, and at least 97% of negative tests are correct.

Immunoblot:

• HSV-1: 95% of positive tests are correct, and 97% of negative tests are correct.
• HSV-2: 99% of positive tests are correct, and 99% of negative tests are correct.

Get A Rapid Std Test And Verify Your Eligibility To Donate Blood And Save Lives

Now that you know the answer to the question about whether you can donate blood if you have herpes, you are probably considering getting tested. AtRapid STD Testing, we keep the process of getting tested for STDs convenient, affordable, and private. You can order at-home tests or get tested at one of our nearby STD testing centers and then check your results online within one to three days.

Contact us at Rapid STD Testing today to order a test panel or find STD testing centers near you.

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How To Donate Plasma If You Have Herpes With Donotpay

DoNotPay is a virtual lawyer chatbot powered by Artificial Intelligence and helps users to solve several legal disputes. The chatbot has an intuitive and user-friendly interface. It can help you with donating plasma if you have herpes.

You simply need to answer a few simple questions so that it guides you on eligibility and connects you with plasma donation centers that pique your interest based on your condition.

Here’s how you can use DoNotPay to become a plasma donor:

Useful Methods Include Testing An Actual Lesion

Keep in mind that there’s no such thing as “safe” sex, only safer sex, which means using protection and being open and honest with your partner. “It can definitely happen,” Friedman says of the chances of transmitting the virus to a partner without a visible outbreak. “Its called asymptotic shedding there are studies showing that the rates of transmission of HSV-2 are the same for symptomatic and asymptomatic.” He adds that this is why using protection during sexual contact is so important, regardless of what blood tests say. Unfortunately, you can never ensure your risk of transmission will be zero, whether or not you know you have herpes, but using a condom or dental dam will get you closer to it.

Also Check: Will Genital Herpes Clear On Its Own

Is It Possible To Prevent Getting A Cold Or Flu From Someone Who Has Herpes

NO, it is impossible to prevent getting a cold or flu from someone who has herpes. However, you can protect yourself against other illnesses.

Here are some tips:

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Cover your mouth and nose with tissue paper when coughing or sneezing.
• Stay home if you feel ill.
• Keep your immune system strong by eating healthy foods.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Exercise regularly.

Herpes simplex type 1 is the most common form of herpes in humans and is responsible for 90% of all cases.

Herpes simplex type 2 , less common than HSV-1, causes about 10% of all cases. Both types of herpes cause painful sores at the initial infection site.

A person with herpes will always carry this virus in their body. This virus stays dormant within nerve cells. When triggered, the virus becomes active again and produces new viruses.

The only way to get rid of herpes is to treat the virus itself. There is no cure for herpes.

How Common Is Infection With Hsv

Infection with either HSV-1 or HSV-2 is remarkably common. In fact, the majority of people in the world are infected with one of the two herpes viruses.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , more than 1 in 6 people living in the United States has genital herpes.

However, U.S. rates of infection with HSV-1 and HSV-2 declined between 1999 and 2016, according to the CDC. In 2016, among people between ages 14 and 49, the prevalence of HSV-2 was 12 percent, compared with 18 percent in 1999. This means that about 1 in 8 people in this age range had HSV-2.

HSV-1 prevalence also declined during those years, from 59 percent in 1999 to 48 percent in 2016.

Taking a global look at the numbers, in 2016, 67 percent of the people in the world who were younger than 50 had an infection caused by herpes simplex virus type 1 , says the World Health Organization . That adds up to more than 3.7 billion people.

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Hsv1 And Oral Transmission

The other commonly transmitted strain of the herpes simplex virus, HSV1, typically results in oral herpes, or cold sores around the mouth. This form of HSV is more readily transmitted via oral contact, such as kissing, than through genital contact.

Unlike HSV2, which usually lies dormant between outbreaks at the base of the spine, HSV1s latency periods are typically spent in nerve endings near the ear. Thats why its more likely to cause oral herpes than genital herpes.

HSV1 and HSV2 are genetically similar to each other and clinical symptoms are indistinguishable.

For this reason, having one form of the virus sometimes reduces the risk of acquiring the other form. This is because your body actively produces antibodies to fight the virus once you have it. However, its possible to contract both forms.

HSV1 and HSV2 can both have no symptoms or very mild symptoms that you might not notice. Not having symptoms doesnt mean you dont have the virus.

If you do have symptoms of HSV1 or HSV2, they may include:

• a tingling sensation, itching, or pain, anywhere in the genital area or around the mouth
• one or more small, white blisters that may become oozy or bloody
• one or more small, red bumps or irritated-looking skin

Its important to see a doctor if you suspect you have acquired HSV1 or HSV2. Theres no cure for herpes, but antiviral medications can help reduce the number and severity of your outbreaks.

Can I Donate Blood While On Valtrex

The current American Red Cross guidelines do not list Valtrex as a reason not to donate blood. A 2008 Chicago Tribune article said a person should wait 48 hours after taking antiviral medications to donate, but this is no longer reflected in the Red Cross guidelines. Antivirals include valacyclovir, acyclovir, or famciclovir.

Stress contributes to outbreak frequency. If youre feeling unusually stressed already, any additional stress on your body could have the potential to trigger a herpes outbreak.

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How To Donate Plasma If You Have Herpes By Yourself

To donate plasma under certain conditions on your own, you may ask yourself questions such as:

• Can you donate plasma if you have an STD?

• Do they test for herpes when you donate plasma?

While these questions may be a bit confusing, the plasma donation center should have all the answers you need. Visit their website to find out more about eligibility requirements, what documentation to bring, and other general information. However, the process could be a bit hectic as a result of this condition.

If you have herpes and need to donate plasma for cash, DoNotPay can seamlessly guide you in each step and connect you with plasma donation centers ideal for you.

Can Plasma Centres Detect Herpes

Yes. In the process of carrying out tests to be sure that you are a fit donor, plasma centers can detect herpes and when they do, they are obligated to inform you immediately. You may be either permanently or temporarily deferred from donating plasma. What this means is that either you will not be able to donate plasma at any donation centers for life, or you will be unable to donate for a certain period, at most 6 months.

Also Check: How Can You Tell If You Have Genital Herpes

Do They Test For Std When Donating Blood

Now that you know some of the reasons why blood banks screen for STDs, you may be wondering whether its possible to donate if you have an STD. The answer is yes, but there are some things to keep in mind. Most important of these is that screening for STDs is not 100% effectivewhich means that its still possible for a person with an STD to donate blood and pass on their infection.

Screening is only meant to protect the blood supply and those who use it: donors themselves can get infections from donating, which makes them ineligible while recipients could contract a new infection if they receive infected blood.

In addition to protecting the health of everyone involved in transfusions, including yourself should you need one someday , keeping screenings up-to-date helps keep your local hospital running smoothly by preventing any outbreaks from spreading through their facilities or equipment used during transfusions.

The test for syphilis may not detect it early enough.

Although the blood test for syphilis is 99% accurate, it can be difficult to detect early-stage symptoms of the disease. If you have had a blood test and it came back negative but you think you might still have syphilis, your doctor may recommend repeating the test or using other tests to look for signs of this disease.

At two weeks after exposure, a syphilis test will be extremely accurate.