SAN ANTONIO – The South Texas Blood and Tissue Center is now testing all donations for the Zika virus.
The Food and Drug administration mandated that by Friday, all blood banks in Texas and 10 other states must begin testing all blood in order to protect patients who receive blood transfusions from possible infection.
“I’m hoping that all of our donors realize how important it is that we do the Zika testing,” said Dr. Rachel Beddard, medical director of the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center. “It’s a safety measure for our recipients.”
Although the virus is typically spread by certain mosquitoes, it can also be transmitted by blood transfusions.
The San Antonio blood banks had previously begun some voluntary testing. Donors had to consent and the center tracked a dual inventory of Zika-tested and untested blood and platelets.
Now, the process is streamlined and there is no more need to ask donors where they had recently traveled. Those who had recently traveled to Zika-prone areas such as Latin America were not allowed to donate.
Zika is stealthy. Doctors say 80 percent of people who have the virus don’t even know it.
“We need to have a test that picks this up in case they are feeling well and healthy and still have it,” Beddard said.
In Texas, a blood sample in Austin and another in Midland have recently tested positive for Zika.
For donors, the universal testing means no significant changes. They will be informed of the testing, but their consent is not needed.
Donor and retired nurse Pat O’Rourke approved of the change.
“There’s too much history of being able to contract things many, many, many years down the road from blood transfusions,” she said.
The South Texas Blood and Tissue Center serves 67 hospitals whose patients will soon be receiving only Zika-tested blood.
The FDA mandate expands to the rest of the nation in the next couple of months.