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People who engage in anal sex with a new partner or multiple people or who have recently used PrEP or PEP (medication used to prevent HIV infection) will have to wait three months to donate - regardless of their gender. "We screen all donations for evidence of significant infections, which goes hand-in-hand with donor selection to maintain the safety of blood sent to hospitals." This change is about switching around how we assess the risk of exposure to a sexual infection, so it is more tailored to the individual," said Ella Poppitt, Chief Nurse for blood donation at NHS Blood and Transplant, in a statement. "Patient safety is at the heart of everything we do. Potential donors will no longer be asked if they are a man who has had sex with another man, but they will be asked about recent sexual activity.Īnyone who has had the same sexual partner for the last three months can donate, the NHS said. and other countries around the world report urgent, pandemic-induced blood supply issues.ĭonor eligibility will now be based on each person's individual circumstances surrounding health, travel and sexual behaviors regardless of gender, according to the NHS.
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The move reverses a policy that limited donor eligibility on perceived risks of contracting HIV/AIDs and other sexually transmitted infections. Gay and bisexual men in England, Scotland, and Wales can now donate blood, plasma and platelets under certain circumstances, the National Health Service announced this week in a momentous shift in policy for most of the U.K.īeginning Monday, gay men in sexually active, monogamous relationships for at least three months can donate for the first time. So, it's hard for me to support the mission of the Red Cross' blood drives and their plea for donors when they consistently turn away over 100,000 units of blood per month from people with HH.Gay and bisexual men in England, Scotland, and Wales can now donate blood, plasma and platelets under certain circumstances without having to wait three months, the National Health Service announced this week. The Red Cross gets a donation, the donor gets a phlebotomy and someone gets blood they desperately need. So why are you compensating people with gift cards, but you won't take a donation from anyone that needs therapeutic phlebotomies? Many people with HH need a phlebotomy every week! Just think of how much blood you could get!ĭon't you know that blood from therapeutic phlebotomies usually gets discarded by labs and clinics? There is absolutely nothing wrong with blood from someone with HH as long as it passes the same screening that all other blood donations go through. Those people have to pay for their phlebotomies at a lab or clinic, so it would benefit them by not having to pay for it and that's why you won't take blood from them. Hey, American Red Cross, I thought you had something in your bylaws or mission statement that prohibited anyone from receiving any form of compensation or benefit from donating blood to you.Īt least that's the reason I was given from the Red Cross for why they won't accept blood from people that need therapeutic phlebotomies due to their Hereditary Hemachromatosis.