title: Three decades of MSM donor deferral policies. What have we learned?
abstract: In the early 1980s, donor deferrals targeting men who have sex with men (MSM) and other high-risk groups were implemented in response to the outbreak of HIV/AIDS. It has now been three decades since the implementation of these deferrals. We review the international experience with developing these policies, which involves combining scientific evidence with ethical and moral concerns and the challenge of moving from precautionary to risk management policies as scientific knowledge and technology evolves. We provide key lessons that can guide blood policymakers as they confront potential new threats to the safety of the blood system and also provide lessons to the wider public health community on how best to incorporate precaution into the policymaking process.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Medicine and of Epidemiology and Community Medicine, University of Ottawa, The Ottawa Hospital, Civic Campus, 1053 Carling Avenue, Administrative Services Building, Room 1009, Box 684, Ottawa, ON, K1Y 4E9, Canada; Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada. Electronic address: kwilson@ohri.ca.
authors.forename: Kumanan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.affiliation: Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada.
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Atkinson
authors.affiliation: Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Keelan
mesh_terms: D001782:Blood Donors / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D001803:Blood Transfusion / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000635:transmission; D006291:Health Policy; D018451:Homosexuality, Male; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D012308:Risk Management; D012725:Sexual Behavior
keywords: Blood donors; Blood transfusion; HIV; Men who have sex with men; Precautionary principle; Prevention of transfusion-transmitted infections