US blood supply should be screened for Zika, FDA says
The Food and Drug Administration has recommended screening the entire US blood supply for the Zika virus, it announced today, noting that screening donated blood is already underway in Florida and Puerto Rico.
The new recommendation applies "across the board to anyone collecting blood," explained Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. This includes very large blood collection establishments, such as the American Red Cross, and some very small establishments, such as academic centers, he said.
The Red Cross said it will phase in universal testing. Currently, it is conducting Zika tests in five southeastern states and will expand testing to four additional states in the south central and southwestern US over the next two weeks, the organization said in a statement. The Red Cross did not offer details about which states are covered.
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