As the organizer of her high school blood drive, a teacher was surprised to learn she couldn't donate.
Sara Atiyeh-Lakatosh was rejected because she's taking an antibiotic for a sinus infection. Blood banks turn away anyone who show signs of sickness. And with the spread of H1N1, blood collectors say the pressure is on to be more aware.
Donated blood is not screened for seasonal flu or H1N1 because it's difficult to detect in blood. So screeners are the last line of defense against sick donors.
Ideally, collection specialists will know in the screening area if a donor is sick. But if a person slips by with H1N1, and you are the recipient of their blood, could you end up with the virus?
Dr. Timothy Hilbert of New York University's Langone Medical Center, says the chances of that happening are very, very low.
"It's very difficult to say that someone got the flu via transfusion, or whether they got it as part of the normal progression of the flu through the population," he said.
If donors get sick after donating, they're asked to call, so their blood won't be used.
Some blood centers are concerned that H1N1 could hurt the "heart" of their donations.
Marcia Springel of the Miller-Keystone Blood Center said, " Schools are our donor base, and if they're closed down, we need to start thinking now, where will we go for blood."
But right now the red cross says there is enough blood, and they're optimistic we'll get through flu season without a crisis .
