Since there is no screen test for Zika, United Blood Services has to turn away about three percent of its regular donors, so they need more people to donate blood.
Advertisement
The regional office of the United Blood Services is asking potential donors who have traveled to the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America not to donate blood for 28 days after leaving those areas, according to a news release. Prather said when the summer months do come, people can take precautions to avoid providing breeding grounds for the mosquitoes that carry the virus.
Community Blood Bank donor recruiter Rita Nelson said “a lot of our donors will travel, but not all of them will go out of the United States”.
“The FDA is still considering what to do about the Zika virus, and considering whether they want to make any binding recommendations”, said Dr. Steven Kleinman, AABB’s senior medical adviser.
Blood supply shortages are more pronounced in the winter time due to holiday travel and the flu.
Pregnant women and women planning to become pregnant should postpone or cancel travel to the areas where Zika virus transmission is ongoing.
Butzin says people can catch the virus, but not have any symptoms.
Last week, the World Health Organization declared the Zika virus a global health emergency, linking the spread of the disease to a spike in cases of microcephaly in Brazil.
Blood banks are being urged by AABB to require donors to monitor their health after they give blood, and report in if they have two of five symptoms: fever, muscle and joint pain, headache, eye pain, and rash.
Advertisement
As the country is working on a plan to combat the Zika virus, a local blood provider is putting restrictions on who can donate. Additional height and weight requirements apply to donors 22 and younger, and donors who are 16 must have signed permission from a parent or guardian.
