The Red Cross said they are participating in a pilot study funded by the FDA using behavior-based health history questionnaires, similar to those used in the U.K. When the ban was started, in 1985, blood banks had limited abilities to test blood products, so they banned. Federal rules previously made such donors wait 12 months before giving blood, but due to low blood supplies during the pandemic the federal government changed the policy in April. Back in the 1980s, the FDA placed restrictions on blood donations by gay men. The Food and Drug Administration's current policy states a man who has sex with another man in the previous three months can't donate. What is the policy in the U.S.?ĭespite efforts by advocates to change regulations in the U.S, the ability for gay and bisexual men to donate blood is still restricted.Ī ban on gay and bisexual blood donors has been in effect since the early 1980s when fears about HIV/AIDS were widespread. Researchers will continue to monitor the impact of the donor selection changes for the next 12 months to determine if more changes are needed, NHS said.
The findings were accepted in full by the government last December. But the New York Blood Center says it can’t implement those changes until early. The panel determined an individualized, gender-neutral approach to determining who can donate blood, platelets, and plasma is fairer and still maintains the safety of the U.K.'s blood supply. The FDA on April 2nd relaxed its restrictions on gay and bisexual men donating blood after a decades-long ban. MSM must be celibate for three months to give blood because of a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) policy dating back 40 years to the onset of the AIDS crisis.
The NHS moved to alter its blood donation eligibility rules following a review by the FAIR (For the Assessment of Individualised Risk) steering group. Even so, gay and bisexual men, clinically referred to as men who have sex with men or MSM, are still being told that their blood is too dangerous to donate. People who engage in anal sex with a new partner or multiple people or who have recently used PrEP or PEP (medication used to prevent HIV infection) will have to wait three months to donate - regardless of their gender. "We screen all donations for evidence of significant infections, which goes hand-in-hand with donor selection to maintain the safety of blood sent to hospitals." This change is about switching around how we assess the risk of exposure to a sexual infection, so it is more tailored to the individual," said Ella Poppitt, Chief Nurse for blood donation at NHS Blood and Transplant, in a statement.
"Patient safety is at the heart of everything we do. Potential donors will no longer be asked if they are a man who has had sex with another man, but they will be asked about recent sexual activity.Īnyone who has had the same sexual partner for the last three months can donate, the NHS said. Donor eligibility will now be based on each person's individual circumstances surrounding health, travel and sexual behaviors regardless of gender, according to the NHS. Here are the rules governing blood donation by gay and bi men around the world: - Countries that impose lifelong bans on gay and bisexual men donating blood include Croatia, Iceland, Malaysia.