Malaria

Travelling in an area where malaria is endemic prevents you from donating blood for six months after returning from the trip and ending the course of antimalarial drugs. Antimalarial drug therapy that is started in Finland before the trip to a malaria risk area does not prevent donation.

Areas where according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) occurs malaria infections are considered to be malaria endemic areas. The list includes also areas where taking antimalarial drugs may not be recommended to travelers. Persons diagnosed with malaria are not eligible to donate blood for a minimum period of three years after the infection.

We will take a blood sample to test for malaria antibodies at the blood donation in the following situations:

• blood donor, who has been diagnosed and treated with malaria infection (test can been taken earliest after three years of recovery)
• first time blood donor, if she/he has lived under the age of five years in a malaria risk country
• blood donor who has lived under the age of five years in a malaria risk country and it has visited a malaria risk area during the last three years (test can be taken earliest after six months of the last visit)

We will contact you donor if the test result is positive. A positive test result leads to a permanent deferral from blood donation.

Would you like more information? Please call the free information number for blood donors on 0800 0 5801 (Mon to Fri from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.).