Coming shortly after outbreaks of dengue and chikungunya virus in related locations, the recent outbreak of Zika virus in the southern part of the western hemisphere is yet another reminder that infectious pathogens continue to emerge rapidly and can adversely affect public health, including the safety of the blood supply. In response to Zika virus, public health measures that rely largely on donor deferral and sourcing of blood from non-outbreak areas until a blood donor screening test becomes available have been implemented to address the safety of the blood supply in the United States. However, a more universal approach to ensuring blood safety in the setting of rapidly emerging infectious diseases is needed.
Keywords: Zika virus; blood safety; donor screening tests; emerging pathogens; pathogen-reduction.
Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America 2016. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.