STATUS – HIV and Blood Donations
Blood is the lifeline that flows through the body. It nourishes and transports waste products to appropriate filtering organs. In the past year, there have been reports of increased donated units that have tested reactive for HIV after screening consistent with the rise of HIV infections in the Philippines. However, there have also been accounts of nonreactive men having sex with men (MSM) who have been deferred from donating blood on the basis of their sexual orientation.