Living Donors Online Message Board
Living Donation Discussion and News => Living Donation in the News => Topic started by: Clark on September 24, 2011, 05:44:01 PM
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http://www.mediplacements.com/article-800727913-blood_donation_ban_for_gay_men.html
Blood donation ban for gay men lifted
The lifetime blood donation ban for gay men has been lifted, meaning that homosexuals will soon be able to give blood.
Men whose last sexual contact with another man was more than a year ago will be permitted to donate from Monday November 7th in England and Wales.
However, those who had sex with another man within the past year will not be able to give blood, even if they used protection.
To come to this conclusion, the Advisory Committee investigated the risk of infection being carried in blood, attitudes to compliance with donor selection criteria and improvements in the testing of donated blood.
Public health minister Anne Milton said that scientific checks must be put in place to maintain the safe supply of blood for transfusions and emphasised the importance of people complying with donor selection criteria.
Dr Lorna Williamson, NHS Blood and Transplant’s medical and research director said: "The SaBTO review concluded that the safety of the blood supply would not be affected by the change and we would like to reassure patients receiving transfusions that the blood supply is as safe as it reasonably can be and amongst the safest in the world.
"There has been no documented transmission of a blood-borne virus in the UK since 2005, with no HIV transmission since 2002."