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Potential donors with questions about donation eligibility can visit our website at or call the Red Cross Donor and Client Support Center at 1-86.The FDA has announced a relaxing of its restrictions on gay men being allowed to donate blood, in light of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The Red Cross, like all blood collectors in the U.S., is required to follow the eligibility guidelines by the FDA. Although studies have documented that undetectable still equals untransmissible for sexual transmission, this does not apply to transfusion transmission.īlood donation eligibility requirements are determined by the U.S.
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If you have ever taken a drug to treat an HIV infection, known as antiretroviral therapy or ART, you are deferred from blood donation indefinitely since antiretroviral drugs do not fully eliminate the virus from the body, and donated blood can potentially still transmit HIV infection to a transfusion recipient. The three-month waiting period is required due to these drugs interfering with viral replication and thus possibly altering the performance of diagnostic and screening tests for HIV, including extending the window period prior to detectable infection or a delay in producing antibodies. PEP, or post-exposure prophylaxis, is a short-term treatment started as soon as possible after a high-risk exposure to HIV. PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, involves taking a specific combination of medicines as a prevention method for people who are HIV negative and may be at risk of HIV infection. If you have taken a drug to prevent an HIV infection (PrEP or PEP), you are asked to wait three months from last use of the drug to donate blood. Individuals with specific questions about eligibility can contact the Red Cross Donor and Client Support Center at 1-86. Individuals do not need to tell staff that they are transgender. If Red Cross records have the incorrect gender, presenting donors may ask staff members to make the change upon registration. This step helps ensure donor safety and accuracy of records. Red Cross staff members are required to verbally confirm demographic information, including gender, with all presenting donors. See additional blood donation eligibility criteria. There is no deferral associated with being transgender, and eligibility will be based upon the criteria associated with the gender the donor has reported. The Red Cross will no longer ask donors to answer both male and female questions when attempting to donate. The FDA revised guidance states, “In the context of the donor history questionnaire, FDA recommends that male or female gender be taken to be self-identified and self-reported.” This change allows blood donors to register with the gender in which they identify. More information about this study is available at. If the study’s scientific evidence supports the use of the different eligibility questions, it could lead to further efforts to change the MSM eligibility criteria. This study is a first step in providing data that will help the FDA determine if a donor history questionnaire based on individual risk would be as effective as a time-based MSM deferral in reducing the risk of HIV in the blood supply. The study is focused on evaluating alternatives to determining donor eligibility. In order to gather data related to the possibility of using an individual risk assessment behavior-based health history questionnaire in the U.S., the Red Cross, along with One Blood, Vitalant and partner LGBTQ+ community health centers, are participating in a pilot study funded by the FDA in select cities that could potentially lead to changes for blood donor eligibility criteria for gay and bisexual men.
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However, as a regulated organization, we cannot unilaterally enact changes concerning the MSM deferral policy. We continue to assist in evaluating alternative donor eligibility criteria and the expanded use of new technologies to work toward elimination of donor eligibility questions based on sexual orientation that would no longer be necessary. We are committed to working with partners toward achieving this goal. The Red Cross recognizes the hurt this policy has caused to many in the LGBTQ+ community and believes blood donation eligibility should not be determined by methods that are based upon sexual orientation.
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blood collection organizations must follow this federal requirement. The FDA guidance “ Revised Recommendations for Reducing the Risk of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Transmission by Blood and Blood Products” states, “Defer for 3 months from the most recent sexual contact, a man who has had sex with another man during the past 3 months.” All U.S.