Rabies - Whole blood and components

Affected individual

Obligatory: Must not donate if:
Diagnosed with rabies, even if now recovered.
Discretionary: If exposure to a potentially rabid animal has been managed with passive immunisation and/or immunisation, accept if it is at least 12 months post exposure and fully cleared by the treating physician.
Additional information: Once symptomatic, rabies is almost always fatal. There is not enough information on individuals who have recovered to know if they may still present an infection risk and, if so, for how long.

Immunisation - post exposure

Obligatory: Must not donate until:
At least 12 months post exposure and fully cleared by the treating physician.
See if relevant: Animal bite, non-human
Immunoglobulin therapy
Additional information: It is essential that any rabies virus has been eliminated from the system before a donation is accepted. Waiting at least 12 months post exposure and until the individual is fully cleared by the treating physician should make sure that the virus has been cleared.

Immunisation - non-exposed

Supporting information

Regulatory information: Part of this entry is a requirement of the Blood Safety and Quality Regulations 2005.