WYSO Stories

U.S. Infections Of Zika Concern Local Community Blood Centers

WYSO | By Jerry Kenney

Published August 2, 2016 at 4:23 PM EDT

Transmission electron microscope image of negative-stained, Fortaleza-strain Zika virus (red), isolated from a microcephaly case in Brazil. Credit: NIAID

Community Blood Centers are taking extra precautions as concerns about the spread of the Zika virus continue to grow.

Mark Pompilio, with the Dayton CBC, says they’re asking anyone who has traveled to Miami Dade County in Florida in the last four weeks to wait at least 28 days before coming in to donate blood.

“That’s because several residents of a Miami neighborhood have contracted the Zika Virus, and the health experts are fairly certain that it was transmitted locally in their area by mosquito bites—it was not from anyone specifically traveling outside the country, it seems to be a local transmission,” he said.

CBC Dayton says they’re asking for that self-deferment while they update their screening procedures, which should be in place in the next week or so.

Blood donations have already been negatively affected by stricter FDA requirements that went into effect in May, and so they’re asking those who are not at risk to donate. They say they are especially in short supply of Type O-positive blood.