COPENHAGEN | Sexually active gay men in Denmark will be able to donate blood in 2019, the Copenhagen Post reports, citing the country’s health minister.
The new rules mean gay men will be able to donate blood if they haven’t had sex with a man within a quarantine period of four months. The quarantine period is voided if the donor is in a relationship with one partner.
“The authority has found a model we feel is safe and we will therefore incorporate it into Denmark. All safety mechanisms in our blood donation system are built on trust and we have some very advanced tests that screen the blood,” health officials said according to the Copenhagen Post.
Advocates have been pushing for the change for several years, the paper said, but only last year did the country’s Authority for Patient Safety seriously look into a viable model.
Since 2009, all donor blood has been screened in Denmark for the likes of HIV and hepatitis B and C.
