No risk in ending gay blood ban, study f inds

‘Celibacy rule’ still necessary

A CONTROVERSIAL ban on gay men donating blood was lifted as there was no evidence it would increase HIV risk.

But a ‘celibacy’ rule was maintained whereby gay men could not have sex for a year before giving blood because of fears of future emerging sexually transmitted diseases.

A report from the Irish Blood Transfusion Service, released to the Irish Mail on Sunday following a Freedom of Information request, said it was not an irrational fear to believe a new infection or a mutant HIV strain could develop.

Written by Dr William Murphy, the IBTS medical and scientific director, the May 2016 report stated: ‘A sexually transmitted infection spreads much faster in the MSM [men who have sex with men] community.’

Evidence had clearly shown that changing the ban from a long one to a shorter one caused no increased risk of HIV transmission.

Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the UK all changed their rules on gay men giving blood, cutting the time period in which they were prohibited from donating. None experienced an increase in the number of blood donations found to be HIV positive. In the UK, the rate dropped.

The report describes the task of trying to balance public health benefits with non-discrimination while predicting the future. It explains also that if a lifetime ban was in place for gay men, then it should also be imposed on other groups.

Dr Murphy wrote: ‘If a lifelong ban were necessary, then a similar ban would be necessary for men who have sex with sex workers, women who have sex with men who have sex with sex workers, women who have sex with MSM and so forth.’

The recommendations made by the IBTS to reduce the ban to a year was accepted by the Department of Health. The changes, which were announced in January, said gay men would be ‘deferred’ from donating blood for a year after their last encounter with a man, and that anyone with a sexually transmitted infection would be banned for five years after.

The department asked that a surveillance system be put in place to monitor the impact of the change.

The IBTS said in a statement: ‘[We have] a number of criteria which a person must fulfil before they are eligible to donate. One of these excludes people from donating based on their behaviour.’

The Department of Health said: ‘This decision is supported by the most current scientific evidence available.’

Fears of emerging STDs or mutant HIV strain