New Zealand Blood Service makes changes to donor behaviour criteria

The New Zealand Blood Service (NZBS) has introduced key changes to its donor behaviour criteria. The changes are effective from Monday 14th December 2020, and are as follows:

• The period for deferral following male to male oral or anal sex, with or without a condom, is reduced to three months (previously 12 months);
• The period for deferral for people who have previously lived in a country known to have a high prevalence of HIV infection is reduced to three months (previously 12 months);
• The period of deferral for sex workers, or those who accepted payment in exchange for sex, is reduced to three months (currently 12 months).

The following criterion has also been included for the first time in the donor behaviour criteria:

• The period of deferral following the use of medication to prevent an HIV infection (i.e., pre or post-exposure prophylaxis) is three months.

The behavioural donor eligibility criteria was previously reviewed by an independent expert panel in 2014. As part of the 2014 review, it was recommended the criteria should be reviewed again when there was information which might materially affect future decisions.

There is now a significant body of evidence from donor services around the world that supports this change to the donor behaviour criteria. This includes countries NZBS would normally benchmark its practices against. All current available scientific research shows a three-month deferral allows current state of the art testing systems to safely accommodate the window period between a virus been contracted and it being detectable.

On the balance of all available evidence, NZBS made the decision it was not necessary to convene an independent review panel, a process that could take up to 18-months to effect change. It took its proposal to reduce the deferral periods for the donor behaviour criteria from 12 months to three months directly to Medsafe, which agreed and approved the change.

These changes to the donor behaviour criteria bring New Zealand in line with other countries including the UK, Canada and the USA.

New Zealand’s blood supply is regarded as one of the safest in the world due to rigorous donor criteria, including comprehensive testing of all blood donations using the most sensitive tests available, and thorough safety processes.