Zika Virus and the Blood Supply: What do we know?

Zika virus (ZIKV), a mosquito borne flavivirus and emerging infectious disease, is the focus of an international public health emergency following its rapid spread through the Americas and the Caribbean. Although the majority of ZIKV infections are subclinical or characterized by mild febrile illness, ZIKV has been implicated in severe complications, most notably microcephaly in babies born to incident infected mothers during pregnancy. As yet, the extent to which ZIKV is transfusion transmissible remains undefined.
Source: Transfusion Medicine Reviews - Category: Hematology Authors: Source Type: research