Call to cut blood ban

An independent review panel has recommended that the New Zealand ban on blood donations from men who have had anal or oral sex with other men should be cut from 10 to five years.

"A change to a five-year deferral will not increase risk to blood supply," the panel of experts said in a report on the New Zealand Blood Service website.

A five-year ban will bring New Zealand into line with South Africa.

Australia and Japan have a deferral period of just one year while Canada, the UK, the US and France never allow men who have sex with men to donate blood.