Blood donations from MSM being reviewed

Ten of Swords

The Irish Blood Transfusion Service is holding a conference this week to review the lifetime ban currently in place on blood donations from MSM. A recommendation will be made to the minister for health in June. The two discussion points are - Do reasonable estimates of patient risk change with regard to transmissible infections? If so, are there alternatives available that allow any increase in that risk to be reduced to an acceptable level?

The 3 factors being considered which relate directly to these questions are;

1. Residual HIV risk following advances in technology and testing.
2. The length of a deferral period and likely compliance by MSM donors.
3. The possible emergence of a new infection, transmitted sexually or by transfusion, with similar characteristics to HIV & Hepatitis B/C

Speakers include medical professionals from countries that have reviewed their MSM blood donation status.
(Deferral period refers to the minimum length of time since sexual activity with another man before blood donations are accepted)

Australia (1 year deferral)
UK excluding NI (1 year deferral)
Canada - (Currently 5 year deferral period, in the process of changing to 1 year)
Spain - (No deferral period)
USA - (1 year deferral)
France - (Currently banned, changing to a 1 year deferral in Spring 2016)
Germany - (Banned, lifetime ban was reviewed and upheld)

Interview with Dr Willie Murphy, Medical Director IBTS, on Today FM

J_E

What is the story for those of us who don't generally practice anal sex? That's what I have always wondered. There are a lot of blanket assumptions made about gay men with a ban like that - I take issue with it. I would love to be giving blood again.

Ten of Swords

IBTS guidelines (last updated in 2011) are as follows;

In order to assure the continued safety of the blood supply, we currently ask those people who may have a particularly high risk of carrying blood-borne viruses not to give blood. This includes men who have ever had sex with another man / men. The reason for this exclusion rests on specific sexual behaviour (such as anal and oral sex). There is no exclusion of gay men who have never had sex with a man nor of women who have sex with women. The decision is not based on sexuality or orientation, only specific actions.

https://www.giveblood.ie/Become_a_Donor/Keeping_Blood_Safe/Safety/MSM.html

I was caught off guard by the no oral rule before, was very annoyed and embarrassed at the time but it specifically says it.

Ten of Swords

From the 1st of September 2016 the MSM blood donation ban in Northern Ireland is to be replaced with a 1 year deferral period.

The new health minister Michelle O'Neill (Sinn Fein) has said,

My first responsibility in this matter is patient safety. Evidence from across the UK has provided assurance that the risk is lower with a one-year deferral. My decision is based solely on the evidence regarding the safety of donated blood

This is the first time since 2002 that Sinn Fein have controlled the health department, immediately upon being appointed health minister a week ago she signaled her intent to review the ban with a view to removing it.

This has been facilitated by a court decision in March 2016 that ruled the Northern Ireland health minister can make this decision, not the UK health secretary. Ironically this decision was used to uphold the DUP ban on MSM donor blood at the time. The ban had been challenged on the grounds that it was illegal because the minister did not have the authority to implement it, this challenge was struck down but laid the groundwork for today's decision by codifying the fact that the NI health minister can make such a decision.

If it has been officially announced then I suspect that there has been some agreement among the parties that they will not seek to block this, it would be such a shame if this was dropped at the last minute due to political maneuvering.

Link

J_E

It's still a cop-out to be honest. You have to be basically celibate to donate blood. There is still that same vagueness with 'sexual contact'.