US To Allow More Gay, Bisexual Men Donate Blood - Reports

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is drafting a new guidelines with respect to gay and bisexual men to allow them to donate blood without having to abstain from sex for three months prior to a draw, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday citing people in the know

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th November, 2022) The US food and Drug Administration (FDA) is drafting a new guidelines with respect to gay and bisexual men to allow them to donate blood without having to abstain from sex for three months prior to a draw, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday citing people in the know.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, which caused a significant decline in blood donations, FDA shortened the abstinence period from one year to three months that had been in place since 2015.

Before 2015,men who have sex with men were completely barred from donating blood after the AIDS epidemic in 1980s, when it was found that HIV tests did not provide necessary accuracy to protect the blood supply, according to the report.

The new guidelines are expected to come into force in the coming months with all potential donors' responsibility to complete an individual risk assessment, the report said.