New Zealand’s blood service is on track to begin accepting donations from men who have sex with men by the middle of 2026, a change from the current blanket ban. The move follows nearly two years of commitment to revise the rules and a year after receiving approval from Medsafe.
New Individual Assessment Policy
The new policy will assess each donor individually, rather than applying a blanket ban to men who have had sex with another man in the previous three months. NZ Blood spokesperson Dr. Gavin Cho explained the change required significant time and effort to formalize.
“We’ve undergone a series of steps, and this is evidence-based, so we started off with joining the SPOT (Sex and Prevention of Transmission) study where there was a survey of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men on how they viewed blood donation,” Cho said.
The SPOT study revealed a desire among donors for NZ Blood to tailor its assessments. According to the study, only 13 percent of gay or bisexual men surveyed met the existing criteria of not having had sex in the prior three months.
Learning From International Experience
NZ Blood also examined the experiences of blood services in countries like the UK and Canada, which have already implemented individualised donor assessments. These services have reported no increase in HIV risk following the changes, bolstering confidence in the safety of the new approach.
After a thorough risk assessment, NZ Blood consulted with its pharmaceutical partner, CSL Behring, regarding necessary adjustments to the donation process. This includes introducing a new test, staff training, and equipment updates.
Support From Advocacy Groups
The Burnett Foundation, formerly the AIDS Foundation, has long advocated for this change. Pete Hanl, the foundation’s research and policy officer, expressed enthusiasm while emphasizing the importance of safety.
“I think we’re moving in the right direction, and it’s important that things are getting done in the right way,” Hanl said. “New Zealanders need to have full trust that the blood donation process is safe.”
Hanl questioned why men in monogamous relationships should be excluded from donating, stating, “Just like anybody else, MSM try to be altruistic and do something good for the community.”
Timeline for Implementation
While a definitive date has not been set, NZ Blood is confident the changes will be implemented by 2026, with an announcement expected early in the year. The service is aiming for the first half of the year, but requires the completion of several remaining steps.
“We don’t have a definite date at the moment, we’re confident it will probably be in 2026 and our hope is to be able to announce a date early in the year,” Cho said. “We’re aiming for the first half of the year, but there’s no firm commitment at the moment because there are still a few things we need to have in place.”
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