The study will assess if the individual risk-based questions are effective in distinguishing between men who have sex with men who have recently acquired HIV and those who do not have HIV. Participants will be financially compensated for their time. They will also be connected to appropriate HIV prevention or care services based on their test results. Depending upon the test results, participants will be asked to complete an additional questionnaire. A few weeks after enrolling in the study, participants will be asked to return to the study location to learn their test results. The study sites in those eight communities are seeking gay or bisexual men aged 18 to 39 to participate.Įligible participants in the study will have a blood sample drawn for HIV testing and will answer questions designed to determine individual HIV risk factors. To gather the necessary data the blood centers are partnering with LGBTQ+ centers in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami, New Orleans/Baton Rouge, Orlando, San Francisco, and Washington, DC, to reach and engage the gay and bisexual community. Three of the nation's largest blood centers, Vitalant, OneBlood, and the American Red Cross, which together represent approximately 60% of the blood supply in the United States, are conducting the study. The questions are written to identify risk factors associated with transfusion-transmissible infections, including HIV, that may affect the safety of the blood product.
CAN GAY MEN DONATE BLOOD IN USA SERIES
The DHQ consists of a series of FDA-regulated questions that all potential blood donors must answer before donating. For this to be possible, a change would need to be made to the blood donor history questionnaire. The ADVANCE study is a first step in providing data that will help the FDA determine if a blood donor history questionnaire (DHQ) based on individual risk could be as effective as the time-based deferral in reducing the risk of HIV among gay and bisexual men who present to donate blood. In April 2020, the FDA adopted this three-month deferral policy, shortening the deferral period from the previous 12-month period. FDA currently recommends that a man who has had sex with another man be deferred from donating blood for three months following the most recent sexual contact with another man. The ADVANCE study, which stands for Assessing Donor Variability And New Concepts in Eligibility, is focused on evaluating alternatives to the FDA's blood donor time-based deferral policy for men who have sex with men (MSM). Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that could potentially lead to changes to blood donor eligibility for men who have sex with men is underway and seeking participants in 8 U.S. Several changes were later made to the blood donation regime until deferral periods for donations by gay men were lowered from a lifetime ban to three months in 2019.Ī Red Cross worker handles a blood donation, while at a basketball court in Los Angeles, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.A pilot study funded by the U.S. The policy began in 1992 as an outright ban on gay men donating blood following a tainted blood scandal. The agency says asking about sexual behavior rather than sexual orientation will allow it to more reliably assess the risk of infections such as HIV.Ĭatherine Lewis, a spokeswoman for Canadian Blood Services, said the criteria change is “science-informed“ and allows the agency to be more inclusive about who can donate while still ensuring a safe blood supply.
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If they have, they will need to wait three months after such activity before donating blood. Those who say yes will be asked if they have engaged in higher-sisk sex. 30, potential donors will be asked if they have had new or multiple sexual partners in the last previous months, no matter their gender or sexual orientation. The blood service asked Health Canada to allow it to scrap questions about gender or sexuality, and instead base screening on higher-risk sexual behavior such as anal sex.
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CAN GAY MEN DONATE BLOOD IN USA HOW TO
READ MORE: How to help amid a national blood shortage Health Canada approved the request by Canadian Blood Services to end the policy that restricts homosexuals from donating blood for three months after engaging in gay sex. Trudeau said his government spent C$5 million dollars (US$3.9 million) on research into the safety aspects of changing the blood donation rules and multiple scientific reports showed “our blood supply will continue to be safe.” Trudeau said at a news conference the ban should have ended 10 to 15 years ago, but research proving it would not affect the safety of the blood supply had not been done by previous governments. OTTAWA (AP) - Health Canada on Thursday lifted restrictions on gay men donating blood, a move Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said was “good news for all Canadians” but had taken too long.