UK restrictions on homosexual men on donating blood will soon be lifted. So far, they have not been allowed to have sex three months beforehand. In Germany it’s twelve months. There is no change in sight for now.
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If a person in Great Britain wants to donate blood, it will not matter what sexual orientation he or she has from summer 2021. Instead of differentiating between homosexual, bisexual or heterosexual, the sex behavior of the donor is decisive.
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“This means that sexual behavior is looked at individually and no longer entire population groups are lumped together.”
Anke van de Weyer, Deutschlandfunk Nova
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In a questionnaire, the British should then state whether they had alternating sexual partners three months before donating blood and, for example, whether they regularly take drugs during sex.
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A decision that many have been waiting for a long time. LGBTIQ associations in particular are in favor of the new regulation. The UK had previously adjusted the restrictions on homosexual blood donors in 2017. Instead of the previous 12 months, they were not allowed to have sex for three months before donating blood. It turned out that the shorter blocking period meant that there were no more blood donations in which HIV could be detected.
Gay men basically as a risk group
In Germany it looks different: When it comes to the issue of blood donations, the German Medical Association relies on statistics according to which homosexual men are more likely to have HIV infection. To protect the patient, the following rule applies: no sex for 12 months. Only then are homosexual men allowed to donate their blood. Until a few years ago they were generally excluded from donating blood.
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Regardless of their sexual behavior, homosexual men count as a risk group from the outset. For example, it doesn’t matter whether they have sex with or without a condom, are in a relationship, or are single.
A regulation that many criticize as discriminatory because the alternatives are there, explains Markus Ulrich from the Lesbian and Gay Association: “I would like the donors to be asked about their possible risk behavior within the last six weeks. For the period before that, one could Modern antibody and antigen tests do what is customary in all HIV advice centers and health authorities. “
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Especially since the blood of the donors is already being tested for HIV and hepatitis viruses with a PCR test. However, some viruses cannot be detected in the blood within a certain time window.
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Less than one percent new infections
The figures show that the number of new infections among men who have sex with men remains stable. A total of 2,200 men were newly infected with HIV in Germany in 2019, reports the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). 1,600 of them were homosexual or bisexual men.
According to Face Study At the University of Hamburg, 2.7 percent of men in Germany stated that they were homosexual or bisexual when asked about their sexual identity. In relation to the total population of men in Germany, this corresponds to around 1.1 million men. The number of new HIV infections among men is less than one percent.
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