The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday issued a revised guidance calling for all blood donations to be tested for Zika virus.
The FDA first issued a draft guidance Feb. 16 urging areas with active Zika virus transmissions to screen donated blood for the virus. Now, the FDA recommends every state and U.S. territory to test donated blood for Zika using diagnostic blood screening tests authorized for use by the agency.
"As new scientific and epidemiological information regarding Zika virus has become available, it's clear that additional precautionary measures are necessary," said Luciana Borio, MD, acting chief scientist of the FDA. "We are issuing revised guidance for immediate implementation in order to help maintain the safety of the U.S. blood supply."
Blood testing is already underway in Florida and Puerto Rico, where officials reported the first cases of local Zika transmission.
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