This episode comes in two parts, recorded a couple of months apart to reflect what was happening in 2016 with testing for Zika virus.

Dr. Chaffin headshot

Dr. Joe Chaffin

IMPORTANT NOTE: Things have changed pretty dramatically since I recorded the first Zika podcast in July 2016! In August 2016, FDA released a guidance that “recommends” that ALL U.S. blood donors are tested for Zika, using the investigational nucleic acid test mentioned in the podcast. This will change how blood centers approach the issue substantially. The update above briefly discusses what has changed.

FINAL UPDATE: In May 2021, the FDA pretty much made this entire discussion moot by declaring in a Guidance that Zika is no longer a “relevant transfusion-transmitted infection.” Since no US blood donor had tested positive for ZIKV since 2018, the FDA allowed US blood centers to stop testing for the virus, and most did so in mid-2021. The discussion in this episode is still relevant, however, as the “why” behind what the FDA did is important. Please be aware of the above, however, and understand that when you read these words and hear this episode, the ZIKV facts have changed. 

Original Introduction: Talk of Zika has been pretty much everywhere for most of 2016, with athletes declining to participate in the Olympic Games, and pregnant ladies concerned about their unborn children. The blood industry has taken steps to reduce for the possibility of transmission through transfusion, as well. Until now, however, Zika in the U.S. was primarily acquired by travelers to countries where the Aedes aegypti mosquito is transmitting the virus from one person to another (i.e., “local transmission”). On July 29, 2016, the Florida Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control essentially confirmed local transmission in a very small area in South Florida. This changes the game for blood collectors, and this podcast is recorded in response to numerous questions. We discuss the virus in general, the clinical issues associated with it, and the blood industry’s response moving forward. This episode is NOT an official position statement, just an educational summary for interested listeners.

Dr. Chaffin headshot

Dr. Joe Chaffin

IMPORTANT NOTE: Things have changed pretty dramatically since I recorded the first Zika podcast in July 2016! In August 2016, FDA released a guidance that “recommends” that ALL U.S. blood donors are tested for Zika, using the investigational nucleic acid test mentioned in the podcast. This will change how blood centers approach the issue substantially. The update above briefly discusses what has changed.

FINAL UPDATE: In May 2021, the FDA pretty much made this entire discussion moot by declaring in a Guidance that Zika is no longer a “relevant transfusion-transmitted infection.” Since no US blood donor had tested positive for ZIKV since 2018, the FDA allowed US blood centers to stop testing for the virus, and most did so in mid-2021. The discussion in this episode is still relevant, however, as the “why” behind what the FDA did is important. Please be aware of the above, however, and understand that when you read these words and hear this episode, the ZIKV facts have changed. 

Original Introduction: Talk of Zika has been pretty much everywhere for most of 2016, with athletes declining to participate in the Olympic Games, and pregnant ladies concerned about their unborn children. The blood industry has taken steps to reduce for the possibility of transmission through transfusion, as well. Until now, however, Zika in the U.S. was primarily acquired by travelers to countries where the Aedes aegypti mosquito is transmitting the virus from one person to another (i.e., “local transmission”). On July 29, 2016, the Florida Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control essentially confirmed local transmission in a very small area in South Florida. This changes the game for blood collectors, and this podcast is recorded in response to numerous questions. We discuss the virus in general, the clinical issues associated with it, and the blood industry’s response moving forward. This episode is NOT an official position statement, just an educational summary for interested listeners.

DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed on this episode are those of my guest and I alone, and do not reflect those of the organizations with which either of us is affiliated. Neither Dr. Shafi nor I have any relevant financial disclosures.

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