http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=117970
The new rule will allow gay men (how come not lesbian women or bisexuals of either stripe?) to donate if they have been celibate for 12 months.
Gay men are much more likely to have been exposed to HIV than lesbians or bisexuals.
Last time I had checked folks exposed to blood/bodily fluids of those known to be HIV+ were being tested for 24 months before they were told the could stop obsessing on a daily basis if they were going to die and just be concerned for the rest of their life.
IIRC the HIV virus (yes, I know that's a tautology) can lie dormant for years, and the body does not produce any antibodies or other biological indicators until it goes active.
How old is that info? They can detect HIV as soon as 4 weeks (6 is the official minimum). HIV is active almost immediately, but can take years to degrade the body to the point you have symptoms. Dormant for 24 months? Not likely. The "celibate for 12 months" limit makes sense if there is testing somewhere in that 12 month time frame.
Risking people's lives in the interest of "fairness."
Not really. Gay guys who have been celibate for 12 months (and tested clean within that period) aren't likely to have the virus. Even if they did, the testing done to blood would catch it. Remember, hetero folks catch HIV and give blood.
We should really end the ban on IV drug addicts not being able to donate, junkies are people too!
Junkies have other health issues that make them less than ideal donors.
Currently there's a whole host of folks that cannot donate. Diabetics, Cancer patients, Malaria and Tuberculosis and the one that got me booted right after I hit the 3 Gallon mark: vCJD.
http://www.redcrossblood.org/donating-blood/eligibility-requirements/eligibility-criteria-alphabetical-listing
Except for vCJD, all of those people have something a celibate gay man doesn't: a medical diagnosis. Even the vCJD concern makes *some* sense as blood tests for it are relatively recent (2011?).
There has yet to be a case of "Mad Cow" disease in humans that was acquired from a Mad Cow. No documented case of it jumping the species barrier, yet several hundred thousand folks (who generally are of the volunteering bent) are prohibited from donating and now they want to open it up to those that are most at risk and the "carriers" (for lack of a better term) for HIV, for what medical reason again?
IIRC, they don't know *where* vCJD originates in humans, but do know it's similar to "Mad Cow". A gay guy who hasn't had sex in 12 months is of no risk. They test the blood anyway. So, they're not really increasing risk. The article makes a good point about not restricting straight women who sleep with HIV infected partners, but permanently blocking a gay man who has been celibate for decades.
Why open it up to this group? Simple, there's a need, as stated by the article. The article also says the FDA is likely to go with a 5 year celibacy requirement.
Chris
