Statements & Reports

Patient safety is the overriding principle as Canadian Blood Services researches MSM policy

Recently, there has been a lot of media coverage on the issue of the deferral of men who have sex with other men, even once since 1977 (MSM). The coverage states that Canadian Blood Services is banned from university and college campuses across the country. This statement is not true. In fact, students and faculty are some of our greatest supporters and we continue to collect regularly at these clinics.

As background information, every unit of blood is tested for various diseases, such as HIV 1 and 2, West Nile Virus, Hepatitis B and C, Human T-Cell lymphotropic virus, HTLV I and II, and syphilis before it is issued to a hospital.

Blood operators around the world are faced with the fact that there are pathogens for which there are no tests, or as is the case with the AIDS virus - for which there is a limitation to the available test. Even though our test for HIV is state of the art, there is a short time frame, right after acquisition of the virus, that it is not detectable.

What this means is that blood operators must have an additional layer of safety in place to protect against risks for which there are no tests or for which the existing tests have limitations. This is why we have a screening process or questionnaire in place to identify behaviours and circumstances known to increase risk for patients who require blood products.

The result of this screening process is that many well intended individuals cannot give blood. For example, individuals who have spent more than three months in the United Kingdom or France between 1980 and 1996 are ineligible to give blood, due to an increased risk of potential exposure to vCJD/the human form of mad cow disease. These deferrals are for reasons of patient safety and are based on existing science.

Recent reports also suggest that some individuals may not be truthful in the screening process as a form of protest. This action is not taken lightly as it compromises the integrity of the blood system and puts patients lives at risk.

Quite simply, we're not making value judgements - the overriding principle is to protect patients.

Is there another way of screening? Quite possibly. The screening that we do is based on science that is currently available to us. This is why we are undertaking research to expand our knowledge and inform our decision-making on this issue. As we conduct this research we will continue to work with groups such as the Canadian Federation of Students and Egale Canada, as well as keeping the public informed on our progress.

Ultimately it is Health Canada who makes the final decision on any policy change to the blood system.