Re-examining blood donor deferral criteria relating to injecting drug use

Abstract

Background and aims Potential Australian blood donors are deferred indefinitely if they report a history of injecting drug use (IDU), or for 12 months if they report having engaged in sexual activity with someone who might have ever injected. Given incremental improvements in blood safety, this study sought to examine whether Australia's IDU-related eligibility criteria reflected current scientific evidence, were consistent with international best practice and, if current IDU-related policies were to be changed, how this should happen. Methods An expert committee was formed to review relevant literature with a focus on issues including: the epidemiology of IDU in Australia and key transfusio..