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gay blood donors

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Comments

  • #32
    J_E
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,734 ✭✭✭J_E


    But the ban isn't there purely because of statistics - it was implemented at a time when there was a lot more paranoia and misinformation regarding AIDS. I think the current policy could do a lot better - what about men who are sexually active but don't partake in anal sex, and maybe only tried that once in their life? You are lifetime banned for practically looking at another man. I think the only hope in a real change will be in a faster screening process whereby it can be detected on the spot - but whatever, if they don't want my blood, so be it. I am also a more uncommon type that they pleaded with me in the past to donate for.


  • #33
    FrStone
    Registered Users Posts: 720 ✭✭✭FrStone


    J_E wrote: »
    But the ban isn't there purely because of statistics - it was implemented at a time when there was a lot more paranoia and misinformation regarding AIDS. I think the current policy could do a lot better - what about men who are sexually active but don't partake in anal sex, and maybe only tried that once in their life? You are lifetime banned for practically looking at another man. I think the only hope in a real change will be in a faster screening process whereby it can be detected on the spot - but whatever, if they don't want my blood, so be it. I am also a more uncommon type that they pleaded with me in the past to donate for.

    You are 100% correct, the ban was first implemented due to misinformation but as time went on it became apparent it was the correct thing to do using statistics.

    The lifetime ban is harsh, and that's why I said that I support one of the options in the report mentioned on the six one today, whereby men who haven't had sex with another man in the past 12 months can donate. This way there blood will show up as having HIV if tested for it, and can just not be given to patients.

    Unfortunately we will have to do without your blood until they find a new way to test for HIV. Just the same way people who lived in the UK between certain years can't donate. We have very stringent standards for donating blood, and I think it is important that the standard remains stringent.


  • #34
    Dingle_berry
    Registered Users Posts: 885 ✭✭✭Dingle_berry


    FrStone wrote: »
    The testing process for HIV does not pick up HIV in the first six months of getting the disease.
    The IBTS now uses PCR testing methods which can detect the infection before 6 months. It's serological techniques that can't detect infection until seroconversion which is, on average, 6 months.
    Also modern techniques like leukodepletion reduce the risk of transmission.

    It's anal sex that carries the heightened risk of disease transmission. The current donor selection criteria assumes that only men engage in anal sex with other men. Oral sex carries less risk than vaginal sex but if two men engage in it they still recieve a ban, a heterosexual or lesbian couple doesn't.

    Every donation carries risk. The IBTS is supposed to reduce the risks while maintaining a suitable stock. Treating risky sexual behaviour (regardless of sexuality) the same as other risky procedures like tattoos, piercing, acupuncture, etc would broaden their donor pool.


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