Canada is lifting the lifetime ban on blood donations from men who have sex with men (MSM).
The country’s new policy will allow MSM to donate blood if they have remained celibate for 5 years. The policy is set to take effect July 22.
Health Canada approved this change based on a request from Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec submitted last December.
The lifetime ban on MSM blood donation was insituted in the 1980s after thousands of Canadians were infected with HIV through blood transfusions.
In the US, the lifetime ban is still in place. But the UK, Australia, and other countries have adopted policies alowing MSM to donate if they have refrained from sexual activity for a certain period of time.
Supporters of the lifetime ban on MSM have said such a policy helps ensure a safe blood supply. But critics have said banning MSM is discriminatory, and the policy lacks scientific evidence to support it.
“We recognize that many people will feel that this change does not go far enough, but, given the history of the blood system in Canada, we see this as a first and prudent step forward on this policy,” said Dana Devine, Vice President of Medical, Scientific, and Research Affairs at Canadian Blood Services.
“It’s the right thing to do, and we are committed to regular review of this policy as additional data emerge and new technologies are implemented.”
Under the new policy, potential male blood donors will be asked whether they have had sex with a man in the past 5 years rather than “even once, since 1977,” which is how the policy has read until now.
Canadian Blood Services has been pursuing data to inform a policy change on MSM for several years. In September 2011, the organization’s board of directors passed a motion committing to re-examine this policy, with a view to reduce the lifetime exclusion to no less than 5 years and no longer than 10 years.
After conducting risk analyses and consulting with scientific experts, as well as patient and community groups, Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec submitted a policy request to Health Canada in December 2012.
Health Canada approved the policy change with the stipulation that blood operators must closely monitor and report the potential impacts of this change in terms of transmissible disease rates back to the regulator.
