Are You Eligible to Give Blood?
Canada’s blood system is among the safest in the world. Standard donor eligibility criteria, and the health and safety of both blood donor and recipient are factors that determine a donor’s eligibility to give blood. Common vaccinations and their relative deferral periods are outlined below.
For complete donor eligibility criteria, please contact 1 888 2 DONATE ( 1 888 236-6283).
VACCINATIONS
| Live Attenuated vaccines
| Deferral Period
|
| Chicken Pox (Variavax)
| 3 months
|
| Cholera (Mutacol Berna)
| 4 weeks
|
| Measles (Rubeola)
| 6 weeks
|
| Mumps
| 6 weeks
|
| Polio (Sabin, oral)
| 6 weeks
|
| Rubella (German Measles)
| 12 weeks
|
| Yellow Fever
| 4 weeks
|
| Typhoid (Vivotif)
| 4 weeks
|
|  |
| Inactivated Vaccines
| |
| The following vaccines require a 2 day deferral
|
| Cholera
| Plague
|
| Diptheria
| Pneumococcal (Pneumovax)
|
| Hemophilus
| Polio (Salk, injectable)
|
| Hepatitis A (Havrix, Vaqta)
| Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
|
| Influenza
| Tetanus
|
| Japanese Encephalitis
| Tick Born Encephalitis
|
| Meningococcal
| Typhoid
|
| Paratyphoid
| Typhus
|
| Pertussis
| |
| Vaccines produced by Recombinant DNA Technology
|
| Hepatitis B
| |
|
| 4 weeks
|
|
| 4 weeks
|
| Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B (Twinrix)
| 4 weeks
|
| Other Vaccinations
| Deferral Period
|
| BCG
| 6 weeks
|
| Rabies
| |
|
| 52 weeks
|
- Pre-exposure prophylaxis
in high risk areas
| 2 days
|
Eligible Blood donors can give blood every 56 days.