Source: Radio New Zealand
Changes are coming to the rules that prevent gay men from giving blood. AFP
The blood service is on track to start accepting donations from men who have sex with men by the middle of 2026.
It has been almost two years since NZ Blood first committed to change its rules, and almost a year since [https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/540366/rules-preventing-blood-donations-from-men-who-have-sex-with-men-to-change
Medsafe gave it the green light].
The new policy would have each donor assessed on an individual basis, rather than the current blanket ban on men who had sex with another man during the previous three months.
It was a change that required significant time and effort to formalise, NZ Blood spokesperson Dr Gavin Cho explained.
“We’ve undergone a series of steps, and this is evidence-based, so we started off with joining the SPOT (Sex and Prevention of Transmission) study where there was a survey of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men on how they viewed blood donation,” he said.
“We found that there was a clear desire for NZ Blood to tailor our assessments rather than having a blanket MSM (men who have sex with men) rule.”
The blood service then looked at its counterparts in other countries such as the UK and Canada which had made similar changes.
“A number of them have already implemented individualised donor assessment so we are fortunate to be able to learn from their experiences,” Cho said.
“Some of these blood services [internationally] have published their results after implementation and they’ve shown there is no increase in risk [of HIV] so we’ve felt confident about this in terms of safety.”
After a thorough risk assessment, NZ Blood started to consult with pharmaceutical partner CSL Behring, which converts donated plasma into products that can be used.
“They’ve told us that we need to do certain things including introduce a new test, and this involves new equipment, training staff and a whole lot of other things,” Cho continued.
“So there’s been quite a lot involved in making the decision to do this, but we’ve made that decision and we’re committed to seeing it through.”
The Burnett Foundation, formerly the AIDS Foundation, had long been campaigning for such a change.
The foundation’s research and policy officer Pete Hanl said he “can’t wait,” but “safety is always first”.
“I think we’re moving in the right direction, and it’s important that things are getting done in the right way,” he said.
“New Zealanders need to have full trust that the blood donation process is safe.”
Hanl noted that in the SPOTS study, only 13 percent of gay or bisexual men surveyed fit the existing criteria of not having had sex in the prior three months.
“Why should people who live in a monogamous relationship not be able to donate blood?”
“Just like anybody else, MSM try to be altruistic and do something good for the community.”
Cho said gay and bisexual men eager to donate blood would have to wait just a little bit longer.
“We don’t have a definite date at the moment, we’re confident it will probably be in 2026 and our hope is to be able to announce a date early in the year,” he said.
“We’re aiming for the first half of the year, but there’s no firm commitment at the moment because there are still a few things we need to have in place.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
