Florida Blood Agency To Begin Screening For Zika Virus

TAMPA BAY, FL – A blood-collection agency used throughout Florida soon will begin screening donated blood products for the Zika virus, according to officials.

OneBlood will start testing donated blood for Zika effective Aug. 1, the organization announced today.

“With approval to begin using the investigational test granted, our immediate plan is to begin testing a portion of our collections for the Zika virus to allow hospitals to have access to Zika-screened blood products from unaffected areas to use with their high risk patients, such as pregnant women,” said Dr. Rita Reik, OneBlood’s Chief Medical Officer.

“Hospitals that want Zika-screened products will request what they need on an on-demand basis. We will expand our inventory of Zika-screened blood based on hospital usage,” said Reik.

The not-for-profit OneBlood stays in contact with the Florida Department of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration, and is alerted to the suspected non-travel related Zika casecurrently under investigation in South Florida.

• Related: First Possible Zika Infection in Florida, Says Health Officials

In the event the case is confirmed, OneBlood would cease collections in the impacted zip code and bring in blood from unaffected areas to supply that region, organization officials said.

Additional steps OneBlood implemented earlier this year to protect the local blood supply from the Zika virus remain in effect, including enacting additional donor deferral guidelines, updating the donor history questionnaire to include Zika specific questions and issuing educational materials to donors, the agency said.

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