Zika Blood Transfusion

All donated blood should undergo tests for the Zika virus, which can cause birth defects, US regulators said today, amid a mounting outbreak of the mosquito-borne virus in the United States.

The World Health Organization will seek $25 million for a six-month program to fight the Zika virus linked to birth defects, including studies on whether it is spread by sex or by blood transfusion, a senior WHO official told Reuters on Friday.

The World Health Organization on Thursday advised countries against accepting blood donations from people who had travelled to regions affected by the Zika virus.

Brazilian health authorities confirmed on Thursday a case of transmission of Zika through a transfusion of blood from a donor who had been infected with the mosquito-borne virus that is spreading rapidly through the Americas.

All donated blood should undergo tests for the Zika virus, which can cause birth defects, US regulators said today, amid a mounting outbreak of the mosquito-borne virus in the United States.

The World Health Organization will seek $25 million for a six-month program to fight the Zika virus linked to birth defects, including studies on whether it is spread by sex or by blood transfusion, a senior WHO official told Reuters on Friday.

The World Health Organization on Thursday advised countries against accepting blood donations from people who had travelled to regions affected by the Zika virus.

Brazilian health authorities confirmed on Thursday a case of transmission of Zika through a transfusion of blood from a donor who had been infected with the mosquito-borne virus that is spreading rapidly through the Americas.