# Hep B

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hep-b/3560>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 28, 1999, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hep-b/3560 "1999-09-28T14:32:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\
**Post date:** [September 28, 1999, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hep-b/3560/1 "1999-09-28T14:32:00Z")

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Shirley U’s post about marrow donation got me wondering about something…

I contracted Hep B along with two other guys back in 1975. We had gone to the local Veteran’s Hospital to have wisdom teeth removed. Out of 12 men, 3 later came down with it.

Anyway, could I ever donate blood/organs in the event that (God forbid) my son needed such a donation?

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**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\
**Post date:** [September 28, 1999, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hep-b/3560/2 "1999-09-28T16:36:00Z")

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Your local Red cross could tell you definatively but I believe that all forms of Hepatitis are screened from the blood supply. In other words, I don’t think they’d take your blood.

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [September 29, 1999, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hep-b/3560/3 "1999-09-29T05:10:00Z")

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The answer is a qualified “probably” not.

For Hep B, there are tests that could be done to demonstrate whether you had become chronically infected, or had cleared the infection & are now immune. BUT since hep B risk factors are the same as Hep C risk factors are the same as HIV risk factors, I doubt anyone would allow you to donate blood, bone marrow, or any other tissue (maybe corneas).

These policies date to the times when testing for HIV & Hep C were much less precise or sensitive as now, but no one has decided to lift the prohibitions. In fact, even more prohibitions are being added (tattoos, travel to England \> 6 months total, among others).

If it’s any comfort, you most likely would not be a good tissue donor for your son; while 1/2 of his HLA markers would be inherited from you, the other half would come from his mother & be very unlikely to match up.

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Sue from El Paso  
[members.aol.com/majormd/index.html](http://members.aol.com/majormd/index.html)