What is FDAs policy on blood donations from men who have sex with other men (MSM)?
Men who have had sex with other men, at any time since 1977 (the beginning of the AIDS epidemic in the United States) are currently deferred as blood donors. This is because MSM are, as a group, at increased risk for HIV, hepatitis B and certain other infections that can be transmitted by transfusion. The policy is not unique to the United States. Many European countries have recently reexamined both the science and ethics of the lifetime MSM deferral, and have retained it (See the transcript of the “FDA Workshop on Behavior-Based Donor Deferrals in the NAT Era” at http://www.fda.gov/cber/minutes/nat030806t.htm#7 for further information.). This decision is also consistent with the prevailing interpretation of the European Union Directive 2004/33/EC article 2.1 on donor deferrals.
UC Berkeley Blood Drives, sponsored by the American Red Cross Blood Services and UC San Francisco Blood Center, are governed by the following FDA policy, which defers donations from men who have sex with men. For those that cannot donate, your support of blood drives through volunteering, spreading the word or sponsoring a drive is valued and appreciated. FDA policy states that men who have had sex with other men, at any time since 1977 (the beginning of the AIDS epidemic in the United States) are currently deferred as blood donors. This is because MSM are, as a group, at increased risk for HIV, hepatitis B and certain other infections that can be transmitted by transfusion. The policy is not unique to the United States. Many European countries have recently reexamined both the science and ethics of the lifetime MSM deferral, and have retained it. This decision is also consistent with the prevailing interpretation of the European Union Directive 2004/33/EC article 2.1 on donor deferral
