The primary concern with travel outside the U.S. is for donors who may have visited an area where malaria may be contracted in the prior 12 months.

Quick tips:

• Travel to Mexico is generally acceptable, as there is no risk at major resorts, border towns, or in most of the interior of the country. There is a risk, however, in parts of the states of Chihuahua, Sonora, and Durango; risk also exists near the border with Guatemala and Belize. 
• Travel to Europe is always acceptable in terms of malaria exposure. However, persons who have spent 5 years or more in Europe may have been exposed to Cruetzfeldt-Jakob disease ('mad cow disease'); similar concerns apply to people who spent 3 months in the United Kingdom or on various U.S.military bases in Europe during a certain time frame in the 1980's and 1990's.
• Caribbean cruises are generally acceptable.
• Travel to countries which have malaria (think: warm and tropical) is generally acceptable provided the donors stayed in large urban areas. The primary exception to this is India, which is endemic for malaria.
• One ‘vacation hot spot’ right now is Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. This is considered a malaria risk area. This is a 12 month deferral.
• For more specific information about your travel destination, please feel free to call us at 314-251-4483 or 1-866-37DONOR.