Lukas Pietrzak donated his first blood in 2013 when he was a high school student to save his father’s bike accident. It made him want to donate again to save lives, but it turned out to be the last time. because he is homosexual
According to the rules of the US Food and Drug Administration at the time. A policy that has been in effect since the 1980s prohibits gay and bisexual men from donating blood. “I feel as if our blood is dirty. As if it was not good enough to save lives,” Pietrzak said.
How did this restriction on blood donation happen? In the early 1980s, gay and bisexual men were among the groups most affected by the HIV/AIDS (AIDS) epidemic in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found thousands of people infected with HIV through blood transfusions.
supplemented by many other factors, whether Viruses that have not yet clearly characterized There is no effective treatment. Diagnostic technology is limited. And the blood test is not yet widely available. For this reason, the FDA has banned the donation of blood from men who have sex with other men.
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Although the first HIV tests came on the market in the mid-1980s, it took several months before blood test results were available. These restrictions continue to prevent same-sex couples from donating blood. Although many years ago The detection method will be many times faster than before. But the regulations still clearly forbid it.
However, the FDA made a decision in 2015 to allow same-sex couples to ‘no sex’ with another man for 1 year or more can only donate blood from the one that was strictly forbidden, nevertheless, there is still a debate between the agreeing and disagreeing parties.
“Not all gay or bi men engage in sexual activity that puts them at risk for HIV,” said Daniel Brune of the Whitman-Walker Institute. Washington, D.C., has been calling for changes in blood donation policies for years, it said.
He points out that this regulation does not exempt monogamous gay those who have safe sex or those who tested negative for HIV And although the federal government reduced the threshold from one year to three months in 2020, infectious disease expert Keith Sigel says it’s still not. Go according to the science that it should be.
As of 2021, an FDA-funded study looked at questionnaires that could be used as an alternative way to determine HIV risk among homosexuals who wish to donate blood. instead of using the time limit
Nearly 2,000 gay and bisexual men in eight cities aged 18 to 39 volunteered to donate HIV-tested blood samples. And answering questions about their sexual activity, how many partners they had in the last month, the last 3 months and the last 12 months. oral or anal and use a condom or not, etc. This includes the use of PrER (used to prevent HIV infection).
The idea is to match these responses to HIV test results. and determine what specific parameters could ultimately indicate individuals at high risk of HIV infection. It is hoped that the results will help change the ban on blood donation regardless of gender or sexual orientation.
“I hope this is a step towards a more equitable blood donation policy,” said Pietrzak. “I understand, we have to strike a balance between science and blood safety.”
Searched and edited by Vitit Borompichaichatkul
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2023-05-17 07:20:49
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