It was approved by Swissmedic in July and comes into effect today: Thanks to a new regulation, gay men can finally donate blood without discrimination.
This means that blood donation is now allowed for all people – regardless of sexual orientation – four months after the last sexual contact. If someone has had more than two new sexual contacts in the past four months, this period is extended to twelve months.
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Until now, men who have sex with men had to wait 12 months after their last sexual contact before they could donate their blood. And before 2017, they were completely banned from donating blood.
The new regulation now meets a requirement that has existed for years. The application for the uniform criteria was submitted by Blood Donation SRK Switzerland and approved by Swissmedic in July.
📢Swissmedic has received the request from #BloodDonationSRK to adjust the donation criteria for “men who have sex with men” (MSM). According to the application, the same rejection periods apply to all people after new sexual contacts.🩸https://t.co/vgVFyvtMVe pic.twitter.com/6BdUSdNiBj
— Swissmedic (@Swissmedic_) July 25, 2023
The basis for the adjusted criteria is an updated risk assessment, which Blood Donation SRK Switzerland developed together with a group of experts over the course of two years. (lst)
source: watson
I’m Maxine Reitz, a journalist and news writer at 24 Instant News. I specialize in health-related topics and have written hundreds of articles on the subject. My work has been featured in leading publications such as The New York Times, The Guardian, and Healthline. As an experienced professional in the industry, I have consistently demonstrated an ability to develop compelling stories that engage readers.
