8/26/2023 0 Comments Gay men cant donate blood![]() Later, other high-risk people were barred from donating, such as intravenous drug users and prostitutes.īut nowwith the nation bracing for blood shortages and new genetic tests promising to eliminate the rare cases of HIV still caused by donated bloodmany blood banks are asking why they have to turn away thousands of healthy men.īut even panelists who voted against the change did encourage the FDA to continue to study how to change what several called a discriminatory policy that mandates that no gay men can give blood even though doctors are only worried about a subset of that population.Ībout 8 percent of gay men have HIV, th government estimates. The ban on gay male donors was adopted in 1985 because the deadly AIDS virus first appeared in the United States as an epidemic in the gay community. So as an extra precaution, the FDA also requires blood banks to question potential donors about their risks for HIV and other diseases and refuse the blood of high-risk people. Michael Busch of the University of California-San Francisco. Of the nation's 12 million units of donated blood, about 10 HIV-infected units slip through each year, causing about two to three HIV infections a year, said Dr. The issue has split the blood industry, with half the nation's blood banks supporting a further easing of the policyto one year, instead of fivewhile the American Red Cross opposes any change.Īll donated blood undergoes strict testing for the AIDS virus and other blood-borne diseasesthat would not have changed. ![]() That might result in 1.7 HIV-infected units of blood slipping into the blood supply, he said. The newly updated guidelines are aimed at addressing years-long criticisms that the previous policy was discriminatory and outdated, and posed yet another barrier to bolstering the nation's blood supply.īlood banks already routinely screen donated blood for HIV.Īnd for decades, organizations including the American Medical Association, the American Red Cross and numerous LGBTQ+ advocacy groups have called for a rule change.Changing the policy would have resulted in about 62,300 menboth gays and those who had experimented with homosexual activity only onceseeking to donate blood, estimated FDA medical officer Dr. However, the agency still kept some limits in place. But over time, the FDA ultimately relaxed the lifetime ban. Restrictions on donating blood date back to the early days of the AIDS epidemic and were designed to protect the blood supply from HIV.Īt first, gay and bisexual men were completely prohibited from donating blood. The 40-year-old restrictions were to protect the blood supply from HIV While the number of people eligible to donate blood has expanded, the agency said it will continue to monitor the safety of the blood supply. Previously, FDA guidelines for donating blood - which were last updated in 2020 - stated that men who have sex with men are allowed to donate blood after a three-month deferral period in which they refrain from having sex with another man. ![]() Shots - Health News FDA moves to ease restrictions on blood donations for men who have sex with men With the updated guidelines, most gay and bisexual men who are in a monogamous relationship with a man will no longer have to refrain from sex in order to donate blood. Peter Marks, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in the release. "The implementation of these recommendations will represent a significant milestone for the agency and the LGBTQI+ community," Dr. Those who have had anal sex with a new sexual partner, or more than one sexual partner, within the last three months would be asked to wait to donate blood. In a news release, the federal agency said it will recommend a series of "individual risk-based questions" that will be the same for every blood donor, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender or sex. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Thursday it had officially eliminated restrictions that had previously prohibited many blood donations by gay and bisexual men - a longstanding policy that critics say is discriminatory. Here, tubes direct blood from a donor into a bag in Davenport, Iowa, on Friday, Nov. is moving to ease restrictions on blood donations from gay and bisexual men and other groups that traditionally face higher risks of HIV.
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