The US health authorities proposed this Friday a new relaxation of the restrictions that govern, since the 1980s and the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, blood donations from homosexual and bisexual men.
Currently they must abstain from sex for three months if they want to donate blood, even if they are in an exclusive relationship.
An individual risk assessment
The new measures proposed by the US Food and Drug Administration, the FDA, would end this 90-day abstinence period in favor of an individual risk assessment for each donor.
When the AIDS epidemic raged in the 1980s, the FDA imposed a complete ban on blood donations for gay and bisexual men to prevent the spread of the virus through blood products.
Under the new guidelines, prospective donors will be required to fill out a questionnaire, notably indicating whether they have had new sexual partners in the last three months, or whether they have had several, as is customary among heterosexuals.
Those who report having new or multiple sexual partners will be asked if they had anal sex during this time. Otherwise, they would not be able to donate blood.
“Maintain a Blood Supply”
Even after this potential relaxation, people who have tested positive for HIV or taken medication to treat an HIV infection would still be unable to donate blood.
“This proposal for an individual risk assessment regardless of gender or sexual orientation will allow us to continue to use the best scientific practices” to “maintain a safe and sufficient supply of blood and blood products in the United States,” an “overarching goal for the FDA,” agency chief Robert Califf said in a statement.
The FDA said the new guidelines would be consistent with similar rules in place in Canada and Britain. These measures will be open to public debate for 60 days, before being reviewed and finalized.
Source: BFM TV
