In most instances, blood is supplied by the Red Cross community blood bank donors. These donors are volunteers who have no reason to donate their blood other than the pleasure it gives them to help
their fellow humans.
Each blood donor must read an information sheet that details reasons why a person should not donate blood. If the donor concludes that he or she is eligible, a detailed medical history is obtained.
Finally, the blood donated is tested for a whole series of infectious agents—AIDS, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and syphilis, as well as the cytomegalovirus in special circumstances. The result is an extremely safe
blood supply.
Directed or Designated Donations Directed donors may be selected by a patient or a patient's family in the belief that their blood will be safer than that from the usual blood bank volunteer. Usually, this belief is not correct. Although positive tests for AIDS are rare among both directed and routine donors, directed donations have a higher frequency of positive hepatitis tests. In some areas, directed donors also have a higher frequency of positive AIDS tests.
Why Directed Donors Are Riskier There are logical reasons why directed donors are less safe
