Men who have had sex with another man on any occasion since 1977 are currently prohibited from donating blood in the U.S. The ban was instated in 1983 as a response to the higher prevalence of HIV/AIDS among men who have sex with men (MSM) in order to prevent contaminating blood supplies with HIV. However, scientific advances have made the ban seem antiquated and in need of revision. In yesterday s Los Angeles Times, Dr. James P. AuBuchon, president of the American Association of Blood Blanks and chief professor of laboratory medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle, argues in favor of a new rule that would allow MSM to donate blood as long as they have abstained from sexual contact with another man for at least one year.
Dr. AuBuchon says that the lifetime ban is no longer necessary, since HIV tests now are more advanced than they were in years past, and are thus capable of detecting infection much earlier. This is because the older tests measured HIV antibodies, which take months to appear following infection. However, the current test directly measures the presence of the virus RNA, which can be detected in the blood within about two weeks following HIV infection.
Such advances in technology, according to Dr. AuBuchon, would protect against any significant increased risk of HIV entering the blood supply if MSM were allowed to donate. In fact, other high-risk donors, including men who have sex with prostitutes, must already adhere to a one-year deferral prior to donating. Considering this, Dr. AuBuchon asserts that the same rules should apply to MSM.
ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross agrees that the current ban should be modified, but says that even a one-year deferral period is a needlessly long time to wait to ensure the safety of the blood supply at least as far as HIV is concerned. Considering the current improved sensitivity of the HIV tests, a one to three month period of abstinence from sexual contact with men, as well as from other high risk behaviors, should be sufficient. And the benefit of allowing MSM to donate? It may help to increase the units of blood available which is important, since we frequently face blood supply shortages, adds Dr. Ross.
