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AFP
Miami
US regulators Thursday called for a halt to blood donations in the Miami area as investigators probe four potential non-travel associated cases of the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which can cause birth defects.
If confirmed, the cases would mark the first time that mosquitoes carrying the virus are known to be present in the mainland United States.
The US territory of Puerto has already seen a surge in local transmission of Zika, which can spread by mosquitoes or sexual contact."In consideration of the possibility of an emerging local outbreak of Zika virus, and as a prudent measure to help assure the safety of blood and blood products, FDA is requesting that all blood establishments in Miami-Dade County and Broward County cease collecting blood immediately," said a statement from the US Food and Drug Administration.
This freeze should remain in place until each individual unit of blood collected in the two counties can be tested 'with an available investigational donor screening test for Zika virus RNA or until the blood establishments implement the use of an approved or investigational pathogen inactivation technology,' it said.
Two of the suspected non-travel cases are in Miami-Dade County, and two are in Broward County.
