Canadian Blood Services has been given the OK to scrap a rule that restricts blood donations from men who have sex with other men.
Health Canada announced on Thursday it authorized a submission made last year by the blood service to eliminate the three-month blanket donor deferral period for gay and bisexual men. Currently, men are only eligible to donate blood if it has been more than three months since their last sexual encounter with a man.
Canadian Blood Services will now screen all donors, regardless of gender or sexuality, for high-risk sexual behaviours.
"Under the new screening approach, Canadian Blood Services will introduce a sexual behaviour-based donor-screening questionnaire that will apply to all donors of blood and plasma, the federal health regulator said in a statement.
The new donor screening questionnaire is expected to be implemented by September 30.
Approval to end the practice that effectively banned blood from sexually active gay men is based on a "thorough assessment of evidence" supporting the safety of the revised donor screening, Health Canada said. A group of scientific and medical experts knowledgeable in the field of blood safety met to discuss the policy change earlier this month.
"[Thursday's] authorization is a significant milestone toward a more inclusive blood donation system nationwide, and builds on progress in scientific evidence made in recent years," said Health Canada. "Over the past decade, Health Canada has authorized several changes to the donor deferral period for men who have sex with men, from a lifetime restriction to five years in 2013, to one year in 2016 and to three months in 2019."
The change will apply to both blood and plasma donations.