Gay men will soon be able to donate blood after ministers were advised to lift the current ban on any man who has had sex with another man during his lifetime.
Under current legislation, gay men who have had sex are banned from donating, although limited controls mean an estimated 7% of sexually active gay men still give blood.
But as outlined by The Sunday Times, new plans to be announced by Anne Milton, the public health minister, will allow gay men to donate blood - but only if they have not had sex for the past ten years.
SaBTO, the government advisory committee on the safety of blood, tissue and organs, warned if the ban were to be lifted completely, the risk of HIV infection would increase dramatically. Just over 40% of those infected with HIV in 2009 were gay men, according to The Sunday Times.
The current process for testing donated blood can determine whether the donor is HIV positive, but only after a certain period of time post-infection - meaning a small amount of donated blood could potentially be infected.
The ten-year deferral period, which will see Britain follow a similar policy to New Zealand, aims to rule out those who are unknowingly HIV positive from passing it on. Currently a quarter of those infected with HIV are unaware of their status.
The move has been seen as a step in the right direction by gay rights campaigners, who feel the current law is discriminatory.
A government source told The Sunday Times: “A complete ban is unfair and discriminatory but we need to protect public health, so the 10-year rule is what is being considered.”
