JPAC Joint United Kingdom (UK) Blood Transfusion and Tissue Transplantation Services Professional Advisory Committee

Hepatitis C

1. Affected Individual
ObligatoryMust not donate.
DiscretionaryIf the individual has been told that he/she is HCV antibody negative, then samples should be taken to determine eligibility.
See if RelevantBlood Safety Entry
Additional InformationHepatitis C is a serious viral infection that can lead to chronic liver disease, liver cancer (hepatoma) and chronic fatigue syndrome. It has also been linked with malignant lymphomas and autoimmune disease. The infection is very easily spread by transfusion.

Individuals who are chronically infected are sometimes referred to as 'carriers'. They often have no, or minimal, symptoms associated with their infection.

Many cases are linked to previous drug use and, before the introduction of HCV screening of blood donations, to transfusion.

Individuals who have had Hepatitis C infection in the past, and have been told that they have been successfully treated, will usually remain HCV antibody positive for many years. As a negative HCV antibody screening test is required before blood can be issued, their blood cannot be used.
Update InformationThis entry was last updated in:
DSG-WB Edition 203, Release 10 Issue 01
Reason for change'Additional Information' has been added.
2. Current or Former Sexual Partner of Affected Individual
ObligatoryMust not donate if.
Less than 12 months from the last sexual contact.
DiscretionaryIf less than 12 months from the last sexual contact and the donor reports that their current or former HCV positive partner has been successfully treated for hepatitis C infection and has been free of therapy for 12 months and continues in sustained remission, accept.
See if RelevantBlood Safety Entry
Additional InformationConfirmation of the success of treatment of the HCV positive partner is not required.

There is now sufficient evidence to establish that individuals who have a sustained virological response to treatment for hepatitis C infection (defined as remaining hepatitis C RNA negative six months after completing treatment) are likely to have been 'cured' and that the chance of relapse is less than 1%. (Data from the Pegasys Study presented at the 38th annual Digestive Diseases Week conference, Washington, USA, 21 May 2007 by Shiffman et al [abstract ID #444]).

In the United Kingdom sexual transmission of HCV from an infected individual to a sexual partner is low, but not zero.

As the treated individual would have a very low (<1%) risk of relapse of infection and sexual transmission of the hepatitis C virus is rare, the transmission of hepatitis C from a successfully treated individual to a sexual partner is most unlikely.

All donations in the UK undergo HCV NAT screening so that the chance of a window period donation escaping detection is also exceedingly low (estimated residual risk for HCV transmission from a UK blood donation for 2006-2008 is 1 in 80 million donations).

Sexual Partners of anti-HCV positive, PCR negative donors
From time to time, individuals are identified (through donation) who are HCV antibody positive, but have negative results for both pooled HCV NAT and individual HCV PCR tests. The question of eligibility of their partners as blood donors has been raised. While it is routine practice to request further tests on a follow-up blood sample from any donor who has positive microbiology test results, it is the current view that one or two negative PCR tests performed by the blood service, inevitably close together in time, are not sufficient to allow the (uninfected) partner to donate. This situation is not analogous to the partner of an individual who has been successfully treated for HCV infection, who will have undergone monitoring of test results over a period of time. The HCV antibody positive partner would need to have a full assessment and be given the assurance that he/she is not currently infected before the non-infected partner could be considered eligible as a donor.
Update InformationThis entry was last updated in:
DSG-WB Edition 203, Release 01.
Reason for change'Additional Information' has been added concerning the sexual partners of anti-HCV positive, PCR negative donors.
3. Person Currently or Formerly Sharing a Home with an Affected Individual
DiscretionaryAccept.
See if RelevantSexual Partner of HCV Positive Individual above.
Additional InformationHepatitis C is neither contagious nor spread by the faecal-oral route. It is usually only spread through a direct blood to blood route. For these reasons household contacts do not need to be deferred.
Update InformationThis entry was last updated in:
DSG-WB Edition 203, Release 01.
Reason for changeTitle change to 'Person Currently or Formerly Sharing a Home with an Affected Individual'.
Donor InformationIf you wish to obtain more information regarding a personal medical issue please contact your National Help Line.

Please do not contact this web site for personal medical queries, as we are not in a position to provide individual answers.