Georgia blood bank president on updated FDA guidance for gay, bisexual men
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has updated its blood donation policy, which could increase the number of people eligible to donate blood.
Under the new policy, all prospective donors will answer a series of individual risk-based questions to determine eligibility, instead of being subject to time-based deferrals and screening questions based on their sexual orientation.
Those who report having a new sexual partner or more than one sexual partner in the past three months and anal sex in the past three months will be deferred.
Additionally, those taking medications to treat or prevent HIV infection, such as antiretroviral therapy (ART), pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), will also be deferred because they may delay the detection of HIV by current tests for blood donations, which may result in false negative results.
Benjamin Prijatel, president and CEO of the Shepeard Community Blood Center in Augusta, says this move is long overdue, and still not enough.
“Ninety days is still too long,” said Prijatel. “It is still not fair that a straight woman could have many, many a sexual partner in the past 90 days and she can be able to donate, but a gay man who has one new sexual partner in the past 90 days can’t.”
Prijatel joined WABE’s “All Things Considered” to talk about what the new guidance means for his blood bank and gay men like him who want to contribute to the nation’s blood supply.
Christopher Alston contributed to this report.
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