You can read more about being a blood donor in Denmark here (in English). Today, tests can detect HIV in as little as two weeks to three. Since 2009, all donor blood has been screened in Denmark for the likes of HIV and hepatitis B and C. In 2015, it eased restrictions slightly to allow gay men who had not engaged in sexual activity in at least a year to donate blood. But it wasn’t until last year that the Authority for Patient Safety was asked to produce a model that could modernise the rules. The law change has been a long time coming – there has been a political majority in favour of making the change for many years. READ MORE: Regular blood donors live longer than occasional donors All safety mechanisms in our blood donation system are built on trust and we have some very advanced tests that screen the blood,” Nørby told DR Nyheder. “The authority has found a model we feel is safe and we will therefore incorporate it into Denmark. The new rules mean gay men will be able to donate blood if they haven’t had sex with a man within a quarantine period of four months – the quarantine period is voided if the donor is in a relationship with one partner.
