Blood Donations in Miami Halted Over Fear of Zika Virus

US regulators called for a halt to blood donations in the Miami area as investigators probe four potential non-travel associated cases of the Zika virus.

Four potential non-travel associated cases of the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which can cause birth defects, have been identified in Miami. As investigators probe these cases, the US regulators called for a halt to blood donations in the Miami area.

If confirmed, the cases would mark the first time that mosquitoes carrying the virus are known to be present in the mainland United States.

Zika Fever - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention
Zika virus is transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes which causes mild fever with maculopapular rash. No treatment or vaccine is currently available.

‘As investigators probe the four Zika cases in Miami, the US regulators called for a halt to blood donations in that area.’

The US territory of Puerto has already seen a surge in local transmission of Zika, which can spread by mosquitoes or sexual contact.

"In consideration of the possibility of an emerging local outbreak of Zika virus, and as a prudent measure to help assure the safety of blood and blood products, FDA is requesting that all blood establishments in Miami-Dade County and Broward County cease collecting blood immediately," said a statement from the US Food and Drug Administration.

"This freeze should remain in place until each individual unit of blood collected in the two counties can be tested with an available investigational donor screening test for Zika virus RNA or until the blood establishments implement the use of an approved or investigational pathogen inactivation technology," it said.

Olympic Travelers Face Tiny Zika Risk, Just 3 to 37 People Might Get Infected
Those traveling to Brazil for the Olympics face a tiny risk of getting infected with the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which can cause birth defects in pregnant women.

Two of the suspected non-travel cases are in Miami-Dade County, and two are in Broward County which is just to the north of Miami.

The FDA also said anyone who has traveled to Miami-Dade or Broward county in the past four weeks should be temporarily barred from donating blood.

Baby Born in Spain With Zika-Related Microcephaly, First Such Case in Europe
A woman infected with the Zika virus gave birth to a baby with the brain-damaging disorder microcephaly in Spain on Monday, July 25, 2016.

"Additionally, FDA recommends that adjacent and nearby counties implement the precautions above to help maintain the safety of the blood supply as soon as possible," said the federal agency.

Florida has already seen 381 cases of Zika, all involving people who were infected while traveling to parts of the world where the virus is circulating.

Swift Action Needed To Minimize Economic Impact Of Zika Outbreak: World Bank
The impact of the mosquito-borne Zika virus will be modest, if $3.5 billion, or 0.06 percentage points is taken off of gross domestic output (GDP) for the affected region this year.

For Zika to become a homegrown virus in the mainland United States, a mosquito would have to bite a Zika-infected person and then bite another person, passing on the virus.

Health officials have warned of possible localized Zika outbreaks in the United States, particularly since the virus has spread quickly throughout Latin America and the Caribbean in the past two years.

If a pregnant woman is infected with Zika, it raises the risk of her bearing an infant with microcephaly, a permanent defect which results in children being born with unusually small heads.

Source-AFP