§ 20-27-302 - Testing for blood-borne diseases. - Arkansas Statutes

20-27-302. Testing for blood-borne diseases.

(a) Any individual or company that collects blood products, including, but not limited to, red cells, white cells, platelets, clotting factors, immunoglobulins, or plasma for the purpose of resale or distribution used in the treatment of human disease, shall:

(1) Inform the donor that his or her blood will be tested for the presence of human immunodeficiency virus antigens or antibodies (HIV-1), causative agents of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and other blood-borne diseases and shall inform the donor of the test results. In addition, if the donor's blood tests are found to be reactive, the donor's name shall be made available to the Division of Health of the Department of Health and Human Services for the purpose of contact tracing and partner notification and to donor referral registries;

(2) Use no donations of blood products or plasma until the donor has been found to be free of evidence of the HIV infection by a United States Food and Drug Administration-approved screening test such as the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) test; and

(3) Repeat any screening test that is found to be positive. If the screening test is repeatedly positive, a confirmatory test such as the Western Blot, Immunofluorescence Assay (IFA) or any other confirmatory test subsequently approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration shall be performed. If confirmatory testing is positive for evidence of HIV infection, the donor shall be informed and his or her blood shall not be accepted.

(b) Donors who test positive shall be encouraged to seek medical consultation from their physician or local public health facility.