New research aims to end blood donation discrimination in Aotearoa

26 April, 2022 

Interview by Christina Huang, adapted by Jessica Hopkins 

Dr Peter Saxton from the University of Auckland says we have not had a current picture of what safe sex looks like for queer men in Aotearoa since 2014. Photo: Unsplash.

Listen to the full interview here

In Aotearoa, men who have sex with other men are prohibited from donating blood for three months after having sex, a practice that has been considered discriminatory against LGBTQ+ men. 

Today, researchers are launching an ambitious study to provide evidence to end blood donation discrimination and hope the research will inform HIV prevention and treatment in Aotearoa. 

Dr Peter Saxton from the University of Auckland, who is leading the study, told Christina Huang on 95bFM's The Wire that the Blood Service wants to improve its policies and recognises they are probably too restrictive. 

"The Blood Service is most concerned about people who have recently acquired infections and don't know about it. There's a small risk their protocols won't catch the infection."

Because of the historic HIV pandemic, gay and bisexual men are at high risk of transmitting HIV.

But Saxton said we have not had a current picture of what safe sex looks like for queer men in Aotearoa since 2014 before new developments like PrEP and treatments were available. 

Aotearoa aims to prevent transmission by 2025, which Saxton agreed is achievable.

"We have all the tools now to do this; condoms, testing and new technologies like PrEP, a pill people can take to prevent HIV transmission. And for those living with HIV, we have treatments that mean they are no longer sexually infectious to their partners."

The Sex and Prevention of Transmission (SPOTS) study will collect information about attitudes to safe sex practices, testing, and blood donation.

"We want to know what prevention looks like across our communities and if there are gaps and use that information to support community organisations to improve their services."

Saxton claimed that about half of gay and bisexual men in Aotearoa haven't told their GP they have sex with other men, which means they aren't offered services relevant to them. 

"We need to know about their experiences with sexual health care and if they've expected discrimination."

Men who have sex with men (MSM) can participate in the survey at SPOTS.org.nz and will also be invited to complete a voluntary at-home dried blood spot sample to obtain a blood specimen. Trans women and non-binary or gender diverse people who have sex with MSM are also encouraged to particpate.

Participants can be of any HIV status, ethnicity, region, or relationship status.

Researchers will look for HIV, Syphilis and Hepatitis C and compare blood results to the respondent survey responses to estimate the proportion of people living with undiagnosed infections to recommend tailored services for particular communities.

Public interest journalism funded through NZ On Air.