Friday’s advisory means all USA states and territories should begin testing blood donations for Zika.
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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.
Dr. Louis Katz, chief medical officer for America’s Blood Centers, said it would take a “titanic” effort to implement testing in the first-tier states expected to be online in four weeks, but stressed the organization’s commitment to a safe blood supply. Her comments were relayed to The Pantagraph through the Central Illinois agency. The cost of adding Zika tests aren’t yet known, but FDA officials said the move is essential because the problems caused by the virus are so serious and scientists are continuing to learn about other affects.
Because the Zika virus has forced the deferral of hundreds of thousands of donors across the nation, Prijatel said, blood centers have asked people who have never given blood before to consider making a donation. Florida is the only USA state so far where infected mosquitoes are known to have transmitted the virus to people.
“Red Cross does not collect blood in South Florida where non-travel related Zika cases have recently been confirmed”, Stramer said. “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”.
The FDA previously advised screening only in areas with active Zika transmission, like parts of Florida and throughout Puerto Rico.
FDA has authorized use of two experimental blood-screening tests for Zika.
The FDA already required testing for nine types of viruses, contaminants or antibodies.
Two US lawmakers, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro of CT and Congressman Lloyd Doggett of Texas, had recently urged the FDA to expand testing for Zika to blood banks nationwide, saying it would cost less than $10 per donor.
There are 584 pregnant women in the mainland United States with lab evidence of Zika infection, and 812 in the USA territories. Marks said testing discovered the infected blood before it reached any patients. There have been cases of Zika transmission through blood transfusion in Brazil.
There have been no cases of Zika related to blood transfusions in the USA, according to the CDC.
The FDA said all areas with active transmission in the USA were in compliance with the original guidance.
Puerto Rico suspended blood donations and imported blood products in March until the island began screening its blood.
Friday’s announcement follows recent pressure from members of Congress urging FDA to expand Zika screening.
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In that case, the FDA also had to rush out an unapproved test to detect the West Nile virus in the blood supply, Ziman said. So far, there have been about 40 cases of homegrown Zika in Florida.
