Can I donate if I have had syphilis?

You will be able to donate 12 months after you have completed treatment. Our test for syphilis looks for antibodies, which remain present even after the infection is treated. This means that after treatment people will still test positive for syphilis for many years. Because of this, you will only be able to donate plasma when you return to donate – the processing involved in making the many useful plasma products means that syphilis testing is not required.