Blood safety markers in Dutch donors after relaxation of deferral for men who have sex with men: re-emergence of syphilis and HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis use.
Franke A QueeEd SlotIngeborg van LeeuwenRalph BrandsEric J F FranssenBoris M HogemaHans L ZaaijerThijs J W van de LaarPublished in: Transfusion (2024)
To date, phasing out donor deferral for MSM had no significant impact on transfusion safety in the Netherlands. However, rising syphilis rates and (recent) PrEP use in the blood donor population, albeit rare, suggest an influx of donors with higher sexual risk profiles and requires intensified TTI surveillance in donors.