US Proposes To Ease Sexual Abstinence Rule For Blood Donors

The U.S. Health Regulator has proposed new blood donation guidelines for men who have sex with men that are based on individual risk rather than across-the-board requirements.

It said the move is in line with other countries and will help ensure the U.S. blood supply.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said “the rules aim to reduce the risk of transfusion-transmitted HIV and are similar to those in the UK and Canada.”

The proposed rule comes several years after the FDA reversed a 1980s guideline, which banned men who have sex with men from donating blood, but said “they had to abstain from sex for at least a year before donating.”

In 2020, the agency shortened the abstinence period to three months amid a pandemic-driven shortage of blood supply.

“The removal of time-based deferrals also applies to women who have sex with other men,” the FDA said.

Reuters/ Mercy Chukwudiebere