Safety of the blood supply
To ensure maximum safety and effectiveness, Nebraska Community Blood Bank prepares and tests all blood donations. Every blood product must pass at least 12 tests before it is deemed safe for transfusion. Donations with unacceptable test results are promptly discarded and destroyed.
Tests routinely performed on every donation include:
Blood Typing
Blood is tested to determine the ABO group (A, B, O, or AB) and Rh factor (positive or negative).
Antibody Screening
All donations are tested to determine if their plasma contains any antibodies to various red blood cell antigens.
Tests for Infectious Diseases
Testing for infectious diseases is one of the most important ways of ensuring the safety of all blood products. The following tests are performed on each blood product before it is available for transfusion:
- HIV 1 & 2
- Hepatitis B
- Hepatitis C
- HTLV (Human T-Lymphotrophic Virus) Type I/II
- Syphilis Antibody
- West Nile Virus
- Antibody for Chagas' Disease
For additional information about blood safety visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's website.
Infectious disease testing is performed for the safety of the blood supply. Donors are notified of positive test results only. Some test results are reported, as required by law, to public health agencies for disease control. Please do not donate blood as a means of testing for any infection or condition. Blood collected from donors who received payment or who donated for the sole purpose of obtaining test results cannot be used for transfusion.
For confidential HIV/STI testing, contact:
Nebraska AIDS Project
402-476-7000
For confidential Hepatitis C/HIV/STI testing, contact:
People’s City Mission*
402-817-0980
*free testing available only to uninsured residents of Lancaster County