Blood Safety The US blood supply is safer today than ever before. Advanced testing methods have greatly reduced the risk of transmitting infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires all blood banks to use standard safety procedures and rigorously monitors compliance.
Donation procedure calls for single-use, sterile supplies
Extensive blood testing for infectious disease
Any unit of blood that fails to meet safety standards is properly disposed
Donors who test positive for infectious diseases are deferred from donating again
Testing
On each donated unit of blood, Michigan Community Blood Centers performs twelve laboratory tests to screen for the following factors and diseases:
ABO/Rh blood type
Red blood cell antibodies
Syphilis
Hepatitis B (HBV) – three separate tests
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS – two separate tests
