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Jun 14, 2022, 11 tweets

๐Ÿฉธ Many countries have banned gay and bisexual men from giving blood since the 1980s.

๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ But attitudes and rules have changed over the past few years.

๐Ÿ‘‡ For #WorldBloodDonorDay, we look at the history of the laws and which countries are making progress. ๐Ÿงต

๐Ÿ”ด Why do blood donation bans exist in the first place?

๐ŸŒ Many countries introduced controls during the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 1980s.

๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ The first cases of AIDS were reported in 1981 among gay men in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York.

โญ•๏ธ By the end of the year, there were 337 reported cases of what was then known as a โ€œgay-related immune deficiencyโ€.

130 people had died.

๐ŸŒ Four years later, there was at least one reported AIDS case in every region of the world.

๐Ÿšซ Rules were put in place when infected blood, much of which was donated by drug users and prisoners, contaminated supplies and put recipients at risk of infection.

โฐ Some countries had total bans, while others required abstention from sex for a certain period.

๐Ÿ”ด How has science made it safer to donate blood?

๐Ÿ”ฌ The technology used to check blood for potential issues has improved.

๐Ÿ”Ž Donations are systematically screened for viruses such as HIV and hepatitis B and C.

๐Ÿ‘The treatment for HIV/AIDS also makes it possible to give blood.

๐Ÿ’Š In 2012, the U.S. approved PrEP โ€“ a daily pill that reduces the chance of getting HIV from sex by 99%.

๐Ÿ“‰ Almost 80 countries followed suit and infection rates have fallen in those places.

โŒ HIV drugs now suppress the virus too, so it canโ€™t be passed on.

๐Ÿฉบ Antiretroviral treatments also mean that people living with HIV/AIDS can live long healthy lives.

But despite the advances in prevention and treatment, many countries still uphold blood bans - even though the science suggests it can be done safely. ๐Ÿ‘‡

๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ LGBTQ+ campaigners have decried bans and abstinence periods as discriminatory.

๐Ÿฉธ The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic also created pressure to drop sexuality-based rules, as the cancellation of blood drives led to a drop in supplies.

๐Ÿ”ด So, which countries have changed their rules recently?

In the past couple of years, countries like ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท France, ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ท Greece and ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฑ Israel have lifted their bans.

Other nations such as ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ the U.S. and ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฟ New Zealand have cut their waiting period.
bit.ly/3NHB0u5

๐Ÿ—“ In the past two months, ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Canada and ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡น Austria have completely scrapped restrictions.

๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ช While Belgium and ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ชIreland have relaxed their waiting period.

๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ‡ฎ Finally, countries like Slovenia have introduced individual risk-based assessments using questionnaires.

๐ŸŒ What are the rules around donating blood in your country?

๐Ÿ‘‡ Tell us below! #BloodDonationDay #WorldBloodDonorDay2022

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