Last week, the Florida Health Department reported four local mosquito-borne cases of Zika virus in South Florida. Currently, officials believe that active transmission is occurring just north of downtown Miami. This news prompted the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to request that Miami-Dade and Boward Counties immediately stop collecting blood until all units can be either screened for Zika virus RNA or inactivated by an approved pathogen reduction technique. The FDA also recommends that surrounding counties quickly implement similar measures. In addition, donors who have traveled to Miami-Dade and Boward Counties should be deferred as blood donors. The transfusion medicine community should continue to monitor updates with the Centers for Disease and Control (CDC), FDA and state government officials.
Access the latest Zika research here, including full text access to journal articles.
References:
- Florida Department of Health Press Release. Department of Health Responds to Local Zika Cases, July 29, 2016. Accessed online July 31, 2016. http://www.floridahealth.gov/newsroom/2016/07/072916-local-zika.html
- FDA News Release. Advice to Blood Collection Establishments on Non-Travel Related Cases of Zika Virus in Florida, July 27, 2016. Access online July 31, 2016. http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/SafetyAvailability/ucm513583.htm
- AABB News Flash. FDA Releases ‘Advice to Blood Collection Establishments on Non-Travel Related Cases of Zika Virus in Florida.’ July 28, 2016.
