A new report from Britain’s National Health Service has shown that there has been no impact on UK blood safety since they changed the rules around allowing gay men, and other men who have sex with men, to donate.
The Safe Supplies 2022: monitoring safety in donors and recipients report shows there has been no impact on blood safety since the UK changed their rules in 2021. According to the report the residual risk of blood being contaminated by a donor with recently acquired hepatitis B or C, or HIV infection remained at less than one in a million.
Under the new rules men who have sex with men and are in a monogamous long-term relationship, or have been with their sexual partner for more than three months can donate blood. Previously all gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men had to abstain from sex for three months to be allowed to be donors.
Donors are also asked about their past sexually transmitted diseases and any drug use during sex. The individual risk assessment has been promoted as being less discriminatory and opening up the opportunity for more people to become much sought after blood donors.
Dr Su Brailsford who heads the UK’s NHS Blood and Transplant and UK Health Security Agency, said the change in policy was providing a pathway for other countries to follow.
“This gender neutral, more individualised approach to assess blood donation safety was a landmark change and led the way for other blood establishments around the world to move to a more inclusive policy.” Dr Brailsford said in the report’s introduction.
In Australia there have been growing calls to adopt a similar approach. Earlier this week Queensland Health Minister Shannon Fentiman voiced her support for change, calling on federal health minister Mark Butler to expedite the process.
Her stance has been welcomed by the Let Us Give campaign who have argued that change in Australia is long overdue.
Lifeblood has previously told OUTinPerth that changing the rules takes a long period of time. They say there is no evidence that allowing gay and bisexual men, and transgender women who have sex with men, to donate would lead to more people donating blood.
“There is no evidence to support a boost to blood donations. Despite this, it is safety that underpins any changes to blood rules.” the spokesperson said.
OIP Staff
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