New blood and plasma donation rules mean more people can donate. But has U=U been overlooked?
Living Positive Victoria congratulates Lifeblood for their recent changes to their blood donation policy. The introduction of a gender-neutral sexual activity test means that 600,000 more Australians will now be eligible to safely donate blood or plasma.
Under the new policy, most people in a sexual relationship of six months or more with a single partner will be eligible to donate, and those with new or multiple partners can donate if they haven’t had anal sex in the past three months.
This is a welcome change as previously all sexually active men and trans women who have sex with men and sex workers, among others, were effectively banned from making blood and plasma donations.
The only group affected by the current rule who will still not be eligible to donate blood or plasma are people who have had any sexual contact with a partner known to have HIV or another blood-borne virus.
Living Positive Victoria welcomes these changes as positive progress. Any shift toward more inclusive and evidence-based policy has the potential to reduce stigma and increase safety. However, the continued ban on people who have sex with people living with HIV does not reflect HIV prevention science—particularly following the Australian Government’s signing of the Global U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable) Declaration in May 2024. If someone living with HIV is on effective HIV treatments and virally suppressed, there is zero risk of sexual transmission to an HIV-negative partner.
When making changes, Lifeblood and the Therapeutic Goods Administration should clearly communicate the scientific rationale of policies, including the decision to maintain wait times for people with HIV-positive partners. Without this transparency, the public may wrongly assume that it is unsafe to be the partner of a person living with HIV.
Safety must always be the first priority. Living Positive Victoria welcomes this change, while also reinforcing that policy changes must follow the science of HIV prevention. It is time to leave stigma, shame and misinformation behind.
LPV CEO Richard Keane says,
“There are many ways to have safe sex with people living with HIV. The partners of people living with HIV are often among the most informed and proactive when it comes to sexual health. We care for ourselves and our communities. Maintaining ‘wait times’ under these circumstances not only ignores science but reinforces stigma and structural discrimination, perpetuating harmful myths about the safety of our relationships.”
“People living with HIV have long been burdened by assumptions of moral culpability – that burden was imposed by others, it does not belong to us. It never did.”
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