Two Irish Zika virus cases confirmed

The FDA is considering a temporary ban on blood donations from Americans who have just returned from Zika-ravaged countries in Central and South America.

If donors do give blood and subsequently show symptoms of the mosquito-borne virus, the Red Cross asks to be notified in order to quarantine possibly affected donations. But the organization said the risk of Zika virus transmission via blood donations is “extremely” low in mainland U.S.

“The Red Cross typically sees a drop in blood donations during the winter, and this winter has been no exception”, said Todd Wagner, donor recruitment director for the Greater Ozarks-Arkansas Blood Services Region.

The Scottish National Blood Transfusion (SNBT) service said the new rule would come into effect on February 5.

“This hits right in the middle of cold and flu season, so it’s really important for the rest of us to step up to make sure the community has a safe and ample blood supply”, said Mitzi Breaux, Marketing and Communications Manager of United Blood Services in Lafayette.

“Travel to most of these countries already brings a blood donation deferral of at least 28 days”. Until they can be manufactured for use in blood banks, AABB also recommends that people who have traveled to Latin America or the tropics wait 28 days before donating blood. “We know it’s in the blood stream very briefly, most people have cleared the bloodstream of the virus after about a week”.

Amid fears that it is linked to thousands of cases in Brazil of a foetal deformation known as microcephaly, in which babies are born with smaller than normal brains, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) announced on Wednesday that it was implementing “precautionary measures”.

Zika is believed to be spread by the Aedes mosquitoes, which usually bite during the morning and late afternoon/evening hours, and is the same insect that transmits dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever.