Lifestyle

Canadian Blood Services expands eligibility for some gay men to donate plasma at certain clinics


Canadian Blood Companies (CBS) has expanded the eligibility for some males who’ve intercourse with males to donate plasma at its Calgary and London, Ont., donation clinics.

In these two cities, homosexual, bisexual and different males who’ve intercourse with males can donate plasma — the yellowish liquid through which blood cells are suspended — in the event that they haven’t had a brand new sexual accomplice within the final three months, and their present sexual accomplice has not had intercourse with anybody else in that point, CBS stated in a launch Tuesday.

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That is barely extra permissive than the present pointers for blood donation. Beneath these, males are solely in a position to donate blood if their final sexual contact with a person was greater than three months beforehand.

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The places have been chosen as a result of they’ll settle for plasma donations, which not all clinics do, and due to current relationships between Canadian Blood Companies and native LGBTQ2 organizations in these areas, a CBS spokesperson informed International Information.

Canadian Blood Companies describes this as “a step ahead” towards extra inclusive donations. The group has beforehand promised that they are going to request that Well being Canada take away the ready interval for males who’ve intercourse with males and transfer to behaviour-based screening for all donors by the tip of the yr.


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The brand new plasma donation course of for this group of donors isn’t simple. Canadian Blood Companies says it’s required by Well being Canada to impose a 60-day maintain on all plasma donations from males who’ve intercourse with males.

What this implies is {that a} new donor who passes screening will depart a plasma donation on the clinic. This pattern will probably be examined for quite a lot of blood-borne ailments together with syphilis, Hepatitis B and C, and HIV. Then, not less than 60 days later, he could return to offer a second donation. At the moment, if the second donation additionally assessments damaging, each plasma samples will probably be despatched alongside for processing and to be was merchandise that can be utilized by hospitals.

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Every subsequent donation by this man will then be topic to a 60-day maintain earlier than being launched to be used, Canadian Blood Companies spokesperson Catherine Lewis informed International Information.

Plasma was particularly chosen for this program as a result of it’s simpler to broaden donor eligibility beneath the present guidelines, she stated.

“Supply plasma is used to make medicines,” she wrote in an emailed assertion. “The manufacturing course of for these medicines includes advanced steps which can be utilized to a big pool of plasma donations, and on this course of potential pathogens within the plasma are eradicated.

“This added security course of and our potential to freeze and maintain plasma for as much as a yr makes it potential to broaden plasma donation eligibility ahead of we will for different blood merchandise.”

Nonetheless, she stated, Canadian Blood Companies doesn’t view this program as a pilot undertaking, because it hopes that the donation guidelines will quickly change in order that this course of turns into pointless. First, the group has to show that that is protected.


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Contentious coverage

Canada’s blood donation eligibility continues to stay a contentious concern, with critics and opposition members urgent the federal government to ship on its longstanding promise of reversing the restrictions.

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The deferral interval has been shortened 3 times over the previous eight years. Previous to 2013, there was a lifetime ban.

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Nathan Lachowsky, affiliate professor on the Faculty of Public Well being and Social Coverage on the College of Victoria, welcomed the change however stated extra work must be accomplished to maneuver in the direction of a “gender-neutral strategy”.

“Though the change … is optimistic and promising, it nonetheless continues to perpetuate a system that treats males who’ve intercourse with males in a different way than the remainder of the inhabitants,” he informed International Information.

In keeping with the newest knowledge from Well being Canada, homosexual, bisexual and different males who’ve intercourse with males represented 49.5 per cent of all new HIV infections in 2018, regardless of representing roughly three-to-four per cent of the Canadian grownup male inhabitants.


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Permitting males who’ve intercourse with males in Calgary and London to donate plasma provides CBS a chance to gather knowledge on these new donors that may assist affirm future modifications, Lachowsky stated.

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“What we all know from a long time of HIV analysis is what particular behaviours are almost definitely to move HIV and we all know that almost all of homosexual males won’t purchase HIV,” he added.

“So it is a step in the direction of permitting extra protected donors to take part within the blood system.

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Varied international locations have dropped or modified their screening standards for blood donation lately, together with Italy, Portugal and Mexico.

In June, the UK carried out a behaviour-based coverage that can permit homosexual, bisexual and MSM to have the ability to donate blood, plasma and platelets and not using a deferral interval.

As a substitute, the coverage within the U.Ok. sees all donors, no matter sexual orientation, requested if that they had intercourse and, if that’s the case, about latest sexual behaviours. Individuals who have had the identical sexual accomplice for not less than three months are in a position to donate, irrespective of their orientation.

Canadian Blood Companies wouldn’t say what exactly their new screening standards will probably be, however is promising to make their submission by the tip of the yr.

“Our aim is to take away the present ready interval particular to males who’ve intercourse with males and use sexual behaviour-based screening for all donors, in all our places and for all blood merchandise,” Lewis stated.

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— with recordsdata from International Information’ Sean Previl




© 2021 International Information, a division of Corus Leisure Inc.





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