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# Hepatitis C - Whole blood and components

## Essential information

Definition/s

  HCV: Hepatitis C Virus

### Scenarios

Person with current HCV infection

Obligatory

  Must not donate.

See if relevant
  - Blood safety
Additional information

  HCV is a serious 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.

Person with treated HCV infection

Includes
  Individuals who have received successful treatment for HCV
Obligatory

  Must not donate.

Discretionary

  Blood services can consider samples for blood donation screening if:

  1. Six months has elapsed from the completion of therapy, and
  2. The individual has been told their treatment has cleared their HCV infection, and
  3. The donor is otherwise eligible with regards to the cause of HCV.

  Donors should be aware that samples will include screening for HCV antibodies. Most individuals who have been successfully treated for HCV remain HCV antibody positive for many years. Therefore, most donors with past HCV will not be eligible to donate.

See if relevant
  - Blood safety
  - Transfusion
Additional information

  Individuals who 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, an individual who has HCV antibodies will not be eligible to donate.

Current or former sexual partner of an affected individual

Obligatory

  Must not donate if:

  Less than 3 months from the last sexual contact.

Discretionary

  Donors who have a current sexual partner with a history of previous HCV infection may be able to donate, depending on the status of their partner:

  1. If the partner has been treated for HCV infection, and has been free of therapy for 6 months, and is in sustained remission, accept.
  2. If the partner has evidence of previous HCV infection (HCV RNA negative, anti-HCV positive), and has been fully assessed by an appropriate clinician who has confirmed that there is no current HCV infection, accept.
See if relevant
  - Blood safety
Additional information

  Confirmation of the success of treatment of the HCV positive partner is not required.

  Individuals who remain HCV RNA negative six months after completing treatment are likely to have been 'cured', with a risk of relapse of less than 1%.

  In the UK, the risk of 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 2014–2016 is 1 in 95.8 million donations).

  Sexual partners of anti-HCV positive, PCR negative donors:

  Individuals who have cleared an acute HCV infection naturally are sometimes identified through HCV testing, including testing of a blood donation. Such individuals will be HCV RNA negative but HCV antibody positive. Unlike people who have been treated for HCV infection, they may not have received appropriate clinical follow up, including repeat HCV RNA testing several months after the original negative result. Unless the individual has undergone specialist assessment and been given the assurance that they are not currently infected, their partner is not eligible to donate.

Person currently or formerly sharing a home with an affected individual

Discretionary

  Accept.

See if relevant
  - Current or former sexual partner of affected individual above
Additional information

  Hepatitis 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.

## Supporting information

Regulatory information

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

Reason for change:
  Clarification regarding eligibility of individuals with treated HCV, and link to ‘Transfusion’ entry.
Version details:

  WB-DSG Edition 203 Release 78 (28 August 2025)

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