Blood rules for gay men across Wales to be relaxed

BLOOD donation rules for gay and bisexual men in Wales are to be relaxed. However, men who are in an active homosexual relationship will still be barred from donating blood.

Under the new rules which will come in from early 2018, gay men will be allowed to donate blood three months after having sex with another man.

This will make it significantly easier for gay men to donate blood as the pre-existing blood donation rules prevent people who engage in some sexual behaviours from giving blood for a 12 month period.

Wales public health minister Rebecca Evans Evans said the change, which follows a similar relaxation of the rules announced last month in England, follows scientific advances and improved understanding of the tests used.

All blood that is donated in the UK undergoes a mandatory test for Hepatitis B and C, and HIV, plus a couple of other viruses.

The deferral period for sex workers and people who have sex with a high risk partner will also fall to three months.

The change was recommended following a review by the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (SABTO).

Prof James Neuberger, who sits on the the committee, said: “Technologies to pick up the presence of the virus have greatly improved, so we can now pick up viruses at a much earlier stage in the infection, and therefore it’s much easier to tell if a blood donor has the virus.”

Public Health Minister, Rebecca Evans said: “I want to ensure that as many people as possible are able to donate blood to meet the demand from patients in Wales.

“In Wales and the UK, we’re fortunate to have one of the safest blood supplies in the world. Thanks to advances in medical science, we now have a far better understanding of the way infections are transmitted through blood.

“The changes I’m announcing today will help ensure we keep blood donors and the patients who receive their blood safe, while also ensuring more people have the opportunity to donate blood.”

The minister has asked the Welsh Blood Service to look at how the changes can be introduced including the use of more personalised risk assessments for individual donors.

Sarah Fuhrmann, National Director for Terrence Higgins Trust in Wales, said: “We’ve long fought for an evidence-based blood donation policy across the UK, and are therefore delighted that the Welsh government has taken quick and decisive action to change its rules for sex workers and gay and bisexual men, just a week and a half after the same changes were announced in England.

“Any restrictions on who can donate blood should be based on evidence, not stigmatising assumptions, so we’re heartened that the Welsh government is now looking into the possibility of personalised risk assessments for potential donors.”

She added: “It is a huge step forward to see the lifetime ban on former and current sex workers donating blood finally lifted in Wales.

“This is a victory for science over stigmatising assumptions.”