Why cant gay men give plasma

Despite a need for plasma donors, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has restricted donations by men who have sex with men since due to fears of HIV transmission. The FDA eased. Pressured to take action, the FDA did the only thing possible and banned the group of people most likely to spread the virus: sexually active gay men. Much of the world followed. Gay and bisexual men face a time-based ban on giving blood. But fairer practices could help save over a million people a year without the risk of spreading HIV.

The U.S. is moving to ease restrictions on blood donations from gay and bisexual men and other groups that traditionally face higher risks of HIV. Many countries have laws, regulations, or recommendations that effectively prohibit donations of blood or tissue for organ and corneal transplants from men who have sex with men (MSM), a classification irrespective of their sexual activities with same-sex partners and of whether they identify themselves as bisexual or gay.

Who can give blood? Like whole blood, plasma has different types.

Trump admin updates: Trump says tariff letters to be sent to 'various countries'. Kelly has written about these topics personally and explored them with experts, including entrepreneurs, multi-millionaires, financial planners, and more. Inthis was shortened to a period of 90 days of abstinence. We assess your eligibility to give blood based solely on your own individual experiences, making the process fairer for everyone.

Why Men Who Have Sex With Men Can't Donate Plasma

Estok and plasma gay men who have tried to give blood since April 2 have been unable to do so because many blood donation centers have not yet trained staffers or updated their computer systems to accommodate the new rule. The process takes about 90 minutes, Schuster says. Blood donation rules Safety is at the forefront of everything we do, and this is the give we have one of the safest blood supplies in the world.

Data from the study is promising, showing that the likelihood of HIV or other infection passing from MSM donors is extremely low. On this page: Can gay men give blood? Van Bibber said when he first heard the FDA was considering making the policy change, he was initially wary, but he was excited when it was made official.

The new policy is one that public health experts and gay rights activists said had been a long time coming. At a behavioural level, having anal sex with new or multiple partners is associated with a higher risk of acquiring blood-borne infections. Within days, Estok tried to donate blood plasma for a test program in New York City that treats severely ill COVID patients with plasma from patients who have developed antibodies and recovered from the disease.

Van Bibber said the response from the LGBTQ community has been positive men people coming forward to donate who didn't realize they were now eligible or sharing their gay first-time donation experience. After multiple screenings, Estok said Mount Sinai called him and said his blood had sufficiently high levels of the needed antibodies and that New York Blood Center would be in touch to schedule an appointment.

According to Fry and confirmed by the FDA, the phrase "immediate implementation" as used in the FDA's April 2 press release did why necessarily mean that blood centers could immediately begin collecting blood and plasma from newly eligible donors. Sheri works for the Red Cross organizing blood drives so his family would donate cant. Profile My News Sign Out. The staff were forced to turn them away.

Personal Finance. Those taking medications to treat or prevent HIV infection will also be deferred. HOME Subscribe. Still Standing. NBC News Logo. This is absolutely the first step to take, and science is going to keep working with us and it's only going to go up from here. The Red Cross said it anticipates being able to accept newly eligible donors in June.