Expanded blood supply testing “will be in effect until the risk of transfusion transmission of Zika virus is reduced”, the FDA said.
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Medic already tests for a number of other viruses, including HIV, hepatitis, Chagas and West Nile. Both factors pose risks to the supply of donated blood.
“There’s a sheet that lists all the areas where Zika has been prevalent, transmitted by mosquitoes and those areas are off-limits for donating blood, if you have been there in the last 28 days”, Lambert said.
In May, Singapore recorded its first imported Zika virus case after a 48-year-old Singapore permanent citizen became infected after visiting Sao Paulo, Brazil.
AUSTIN, Texas-Blood centers across Texas are gearing up to test for the Zika virus.
“The donation was identified while the blood bag was still in quarantine, before it was released”, Marks told reporters on a media call.
“About 80% of people who have Zika may never have symptoms”, Marks said. Current evidence suggests that infected men can spread the virus for several months through sex, and women can transmit it for several weeks. The Red Cross says it does not collect blood in South Florida where non-travel-related Zika cases have been confirmed. Since February, blood banks have turned away people who had recently visited those regions, under a previous FDA directive.
The first local or non-travel related transmission of Zika virus in the U.S.by mosquitoes was reported from Puerto Rico in December 2015; and soon thereafter, local transmission was reported in American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The new guidance applies immediately in Florida and in territories with at least one case of a locally acquired infection. Health officials, however, don’t expect widespread outbreaks to occur in the U.S.
With cases of travel-related Zika spreading across the US, the FDA took the step to expand its Zika testing recommendations in the hopes of preventing any spread of the virus through donated blood.
The procedure is necessary because prior to the test, the St. Mary’s Regional Blood Center’s blood supply was running dangerously low.
The biggest impact of the new testing could be the cost to blood donation centers.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is taking another major step to try and halt the spread of Zika. The U.S. blood donation system is massive with about one million units of blood collected from each month.
There have been no cases of Zika related to blood transfusions in the USA, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Red Cross says it is now reviewing the FDA’s recommendation before deciding whether to test all blood products nationwide for Zika. Congressman Lloyd Doggett said blood banks in San Antonio and Houston led the charge to make the testing required across the country.
Friday’s announcement follows recent pressure from members of Congress to expand Zika screening.
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The World Health Organization says 53 countries around the world have reported Zika outbreaks since 2015. Hence, even as NEA conducts operations to contain the transmission of the Zika virus, residents are urged to cooperate fully with NEA and allow its officers to inspect their premises for mosquito breeding and to spray insecticide to kill any mosquitoes.
