Blood center taking precautions in wake of Zika virus

PROVIDENCE – With two travel-associated cases of Zika virus in Rhode Island – as of May 4 – the Rhode Island Blood Center now asks donors about recent travel to any areas with active mosquito-borne transmission of Zika virus.

Although the virus is typically transmitted by a bite from an infected mosquito, the primary species that transmit the virus are not established in Rhode Island. Zika can also be transmitted by blood and semen. The populations most impacted by Zika virus are pregnant women and women who are considering getting pregnant, as Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause microcephaly and other birth defects.

Dr. Carolyn T. Young, chief medical officer at the Rhode Island Blood Center, said in a statement, “The challenge is that 80 percent of people who have Zika do not have symptoms, so blood centers need to defer donors based on travel to areas with active Zika transmission or if they have had sex with a man who has recently traveled to those areas.”

Donors cannot give blood within 28 days of returning to the United States from an area with active Zika transmission. Female donors are deferred for three months if they have had sexual contact with a male who, within three months, had a Zika infection or was in an area with active Zika transmission.

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Zika infection symptoms may include joint and muscle aches, fever, conjunctivitis (pink eye), rash and headache. For more about Zika and blood donation as well as links to the Center for Disease Control’s most current list of Zika transmission areas, visit ribc.org.

To meet patients’ needs, the RIBC needs more than 200 donations every day. “When only about five percent of the Rhode Island population donates blood,” said Nicole Pineault, director of donor resources at RIBC, “we become concerned about how a potential increase in temporary deferrals from travel to Zika-affected areas could impact donations.” So far, RIBC has seen more than 169 Zika deferrals. “When new or additional travel deferrals are in place, it’s especially important to make the extra effort to donate or give before traveling to help ensure a healthy blood supply,” said Pineault.

For more information about donating or your potential Zika exposure, contact RIBC’s donor education staff, who can speak confidentially with callers at (401) 453-8307.

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