US: FDA issued new guidelines for Zika virus

The FDA said it would prioritize diagnostic and screening tests to determine the presence of Zika virus.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a new guideline on February 16, recommending that people who have traveled to areas with Zika virus outbreaks in the past 1 month not participate in donation. humanitarian blood.

Zika virus is transmitted through Aedes aegypti mosquitoes which are commonly known as vectors of yellow fever transmission.(Artwork: Getty).

According to the FDA, individuals considered to be at high risk include those who have developed symptoms of Zika virus infection or who have had sex with people who have traveled or stayed in the epidemic area for the past 3 months . The agency recommends that the above-mentioned people should wait to be monitored for at least 4 weeks before participating in blood donation.

Peter Marks, head of the FDA's Center for Biological Research and Evaluation, said the new guidelines will help reduce the risk of collecting blood and blood components from donors infected with the Zika virus. So far, there have been no reports of Zika virus entering the blood bank in the US.

The FDA also said it would prioritize diagnostic and screening tests to determine the presence of Zika virus, assessing the safety and effectiveness of vaccines being studied for disease prevention. , developing treatments and researching new technologies to reduce the number of mosquitoes spreading Zika virus.