WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is shifting to ease restrictions on blood donations from homosexual and bisexual males and different teams that historically face greater dangers of HIV.
The Meals and Drug Administration on Friday introduced draft pointers that will get rid of the present three-month abstinence requirement for donations from males who’ve intercourse with males. As a substitute, potential donors could be screened with a questionnaire that evaluates their particular person dangers for HIV based mostly on sexual conduct, current companions and different elements.
If finalized, the shift could be the newest FDA transfer to broaden donor eligibility, with the potential to spice up the U.S. blood provide.
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Homosexual rights teams have lengthy opposed blanket restrictions on who may give blood, saying they discriminate in opposition to the LGBTQ group. Medical societies together with the American Medical Affiliation have additionally stated such exclusions are pointless given advances in know-how to check blood for infectious ailments.
“Present and former blood donation insurance policies made unfounded assumptions about homosexual and bisexual males and actually entangled people’ identification with their probability of getting HIV,” stated Sarah Warbelow of the Human Rights Marketing campaign, an LGBTQ advocacy group.
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The U.S. and lots of different nations began blocking blood donations from homosexual and bisexual males throughout the early 1980’s AIDS epidemic, aiming to stop the unfold of HIV by means of the blood provide.
In 2015, the FDA dropped the lifetime ban and changed it with a one-year abstinence requirement. Then in 2020, the company shortened the abstinence period to a few months, after donations plummeted throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Regulators stated there was no unfavourable impression on the blood provide as a outcomes of these adjustments.
The FDA units necessities and procedures for blood banks all through the U.S. All potential donors reply questions on their sexual historical past, drug use and any current tattoos or piercing, amongst different elements that may contribute to the unfold of blood-borne infections. Donated blood is then examined for HIV, hepatitis C, syphilis and different infectious ailments.
Underneath the brand new questionnaire, males who’ve intercourse with males might be requested about new or a number of companions within the final three months. Those that reply affirmatively to both query and likewise report having anal intercourse could be barred from donating till a later date. The coverage would additionally apply to ladies who’ve intercourse with homosexual or bisexual males.
The coverage mirrors these utilized in Canada and the U.Okay.
The FDA based its latest proposal on a recent study of 1,600 homosexual and bisexual males. The FDA-funded analysis in contrast the effectiveness of an in depth, customized questionnaire on sexual conduct to the present time-based abstinence guidelines.
It is going to take a number of months for blood banks to make the adjustments, in keeping with Cliff Numark, an govt with Vitalant, a blood heart that participated within the research. The adjustments would require new questionnaires, coaching for employees and updating laptop software program.
The Purple Cross stated it helps the FDA adjustments however added that it’s too early to know if they may lead to extra blood donations.
Lukas Pietrzak of Washington D.C., stated he eagerly volunteered for the FDA research. He credit emergency blood transfusions with saving his father’s life after a biking accident in 1991.
Pietrzak donated blood in highschool however grew to become ineligible after turning into sexually energetic as a homosexual man.
“Till I totally got here out to my buddies, I needed to skirt round why I by no means went to blood drives with them,” says Pietrzak, 26, who now works for the federal authorities.
When there are requires blood donations “now we’re capable of be a part of that,” Pietrzak stated.
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