The Food and Drug Administration directed the strict screening of donated bloods and their donors in view of the proliferation of the Zika virus in the United States. Now, they’ve revised that guidance and are telling blood banks in all states-even those where Zika isn’t active-to start testing for the infection. The agency had previously advised blood banks in areas where the virus is actively spreading – as in Puerto Rico, where one in every five residents is expected to be infected by the end of the year – conduct such screening.
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Here in Colorado, the Bonfils Blood Center tests for about a dozen viruses, including HIV and West Nile Virus. “At this time, the recommendation for testing the entire blood supply will help ensure that safe blood is available for all individuals who might need transfusion”.
The woman works at the International Finance Centre in Central and resides at Lohas Park in Tseung Kwan O. Her medical records show that she has sustained good health in the past until suddenly developing symptoms such as red eyes and joint pains since last Saturday.
Zika continues to affect Californians as another 19 people have tested positive for the virus, though none of them contracted it locally, state health officials announced Friday.
While Zika is primarily spread through mosquito bites, there have been reports in Brazil of Zika transmission through transfusion.
The new recommendation expands the guidance to all USA states and territories. This brings the total to 26 cases of travel-associated Zika confirmed in Louisiana. “Following the advice of the FDA, on August 1, the Red Cross implemented a donor deferral for those who have traveled to Miami-Dade County during the previous four weeks”.
Testing of donated blood is already underway in Florida and Puerto Rico.
This includes very large blood collection establishments, such as the American Red Cross, and some very small establishments, such as academic centers, he said. It also has centers testing in areas of Texas that are considered at high risk for the spread of the virus, and an affiliate in Arizona testing high-risk donors.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 2,500 cases of Zika have been reported in US states and D.C., and more than 9,000 have been reported in USA territories.
WHO and other experts predicted the Olympics would not be a big source of Zika spread to the rest of the world.
There are 584 pregnant women in the mainland United States with lab evidence of Zika infection, and 812 in the U.S. territories.
INOVA hospital system has been working to set up a way to screen donated blood since May.
In the sexual transmission case, current guidelines for preventing sexual transmission of Zika suggest that couples in which one person returns from an area with active transmission but did not develop symptoms of Zika should wait eight weeks before attempting to conceive a child.
Puerto Rico suspended blood donations and imported blood products in March until the island began screening its blood.
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The new recommendation applies “across the board to anyone collecting blood”, explained Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.
