Blood donors face ban over zika virus fears

THE NHS in Scotland has banned people from giving blood for 28 days after returning from countries infected with the zika virus.

The ban was brought in after the World Health Organisation declared zika a global health emergency.

It will prevent Scots who have travelled to 34 countries from donating blood for a month, while organ donors with symptoms linked to zika will also be rejected.

The virus, linked to cases of a devastating birth defect which leaves babies with abnormally small heads, is understood to have been found in a blood donor and the patient who received their blood in Brazil.

No cases have been reported in Scotland, but people travelling to Central, South America and the Caribbean are at risk from the virus, which is spread by mosquitos.

Professor Marc Turner, medical director of the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service said: ‘ The safety of the blood supply is of paramount importance to us and we will implement the precautionary blood safety measures agreed by the UK Blood Services.

‘There is not a great deal of evidence of transmission of the zika virus through blood. But it must be in the blood because it is spread by mosquitoes and spread from the mother to their child.

‘This is a precautionary measure, to make sure people are reassured the blood supply is as safe as we can reasonably expect it to be.’

The ban covers favourite holiday destinations including Costa Rica, the Virgin Islands and Mexico.

However holidaymakers returning from most of the 34 countries are already pre- vented from giving blood for 28 days because of the risk of malaria.

People who show signs of having contracted the zika virus could also be stopped from donating their organs, according to guidance from NHS Blood and Transplant.

Glasgow University researcher Dr Alain Kohl said last month: ‘In quite a short space of time, the virus moved from one side of the globe to another and is now infecting tens of thousands of people. This is the type of situation when virologists become wary.

‘We need to think about what we can do to stop this virus. Improved therapeutics or a vaccine needs to be a priority.’