The Department of Health and Human Services Advisory Committee on Blood and Tissue Safety and Availability (ACBTSA) recommended changing the current lifetime blood donation deferral period for men who have had sex with men (MSM) to a one year deferral period.
The blood banking community does not support the FDA’s current lifetime deferral for MSM. The AABB, America’s Blood Centers, and the American Red Cross issued a joint statement supporting the committee’s recommendation which is in line with other activities that pose similar risks of transfusion-transmitted infections.
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