Originally Posted by
rehoult
I feel bad for both sides on this. I know people in groups impacted by these policies (gay, 3+ months in UK between 1980-1996, handled a monkey, born in/lived in Africa since 1977, to name but a few....) who have led clean, monogamous lives and whose blood I would gratefully accept if I were in need. I also know the blood agencies are basing their decision on statistics (i.e. definable groups with HIV infection rate of X/100,000 or higher are banned), and don't hold anything against any of those groups. All I can do is hope and look forward to, the day that testing accuracy will improve to the point where such group policies are not required.
Hopefully... Having lived 3+ months in the UK during that time span but eaten relatively little red meat while there, I'm pretty low risk but I understand the need to set these guidelines.
Nonetheless, it's a bit disappointing given that I'd actually reached the point where I looked forward to my donation very nearly every 8 weeks. I got a lot more comfortable with needles during that time. And I'd still be doing it if I was eligible.