You may require a transfusion to replace blood that is lost during surgery or an accident. If you are receiving chemotherapy, your bone marrow may be temporarily unable to make new blood cells. Anemia is the result of many illnesses, and the symptoms from anemia may make a transfusion necessary. Nearly all blood donations in the United States and other developed nations are from volunteer donors who give their blood through a network of nonprofit community blood centers and hospital blood banks. Donors are eligible to give whole blood five times a year and can donate some blood components, such as platelets , more frequently.
All medical therapy involves some degree of risk.
The safety of the blood supply is a shared responsibility of many organizations including community blood banks and the federal government. Donors are carefully screened for a history which suggests the potential for transmission of a disease. Only a person with a clean bill of health is allowed to give blood. In addition, the blood goes through extensive testing for various infectious disease markers including HIV and hepatitis. In almost every case, the lifesaving benefits of receiving a blood transfusion outweigh the risk of contracting an infectious disease.