title: Reevaluating Canada's policy for blood donations from men who have sex with men (MSM).
abstract: During the HIV/AIDS epidemic of the 1980s, most of the developed world instituted a permanent ban on blood donations from men who have sex with men (MSM). In recent years, public health agencies across Europe and North America are reconsidering and rescinding these restrictions. We examine the Canadian climate, where MSM may donate blood only after a 5-year deferral period. We review circumstances of the initial ban on MSM blood donations and recent social, legal, and economic changes that have encouraged Canadian public health officials to consider policy reform. We also review international evidence about the impact of reforming MSM blood donations. Given improvements in HIV screening technology, results from mathematical modeling studies, and empirical data from Italy, the UK, and Australia, we conclude that changing Canada's MSM blood donation policy from a 5- to a 1-year deferral would not increase the number of transfusion-transmitted HIV infections. We provide empirical support to the recently elected Liberal Canadian government's political promise to decrease restrictions on MSM blood donations.
authors.affiliation: McGill University's Faculty of Medicine, 1414 Chomedey, Montreal, QC, H3H0A2, Canada. bellal.jubran@mail.mcgill.ca.
authors.forename: Bellal
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jubran
authors.affiliation: McGill University's Faculty of Medicine, 1414 Chomedey, Montreal, QC, H3H0A2, Canada.
authors.forename: Maxime
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Billick
authors.affiliation: McGill University's Faculty of Medicine, 1414 Chomedey, Montreal, QC, H3H0A2, Canada.
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Devlin
authors.affiliation: McGill University's Faculty of Medicine, 1414 Chomedey, Montreal, QC, H3H0A2, Canada.
authors.forename: Jeremy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cygler
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada.|Chronic Viral Illness Service, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada.|Department of Family Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Bertrand
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lebouché
mesh_terms: D001782:Blood Donors; D002170:Canada; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission; D006291:Health Policy; D018451:Homosexuality, Male; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male
keywords: HIV; blood banks; donation; homosexuality; risk assessment