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| NHS stops people who have visited areas hit by Zika virus giving blood | |
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| People who have travelled to countries affected by the Zika virus will not be allowed to donate blood for four weeks after returning home, the NHS has said. | People who have travelled to countries affected by the Zika virus will not be allowed to donate blood for four weeks after returning home, the NHS has said. |
| Zika, which the World Health Organisation has declared a public health emergency of international concern, is spread through mosquitoes but there have been a handful of cases of the virus believed to have been sexually transmitted, the most recent in Texas. | Zika, which the World Health Organisation has declared a public health emergency of international concern, is spread through mosquitoes but there have been a handful of cases of the virus believed to have been sexually transmitted, the most recent in Texas. |
| Amid fears that it is linked to thousands of cases in Brazil of a foetal deformation known as microcephaly, in which babies are born with smaller than normal brains, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) announced on Wednesday that it was implementing “precautionary measures”. | Amid fears that it is linked to thousands of cases in Brazil of a foetal deformation known as microcephaly, in which babies are born with smaller than normal brains, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) announced on Wednesday that it was implementing “precautionary measures”. |
| A spokeswoman said: “The safety of the blood supply is paramount and it is important we implement any precautionary blood safety measures agreed here as a result of an increasing prevalence of infectious diseases found around the globe. | A spokeswoman said: “The safety of the blood supply is paramount and it is important we implement any precautionary blood safety measures agreed here as a result of an increasing prevalence of infectious diseases found around the globe. |
| “From 4 February 2016, we will have a 28-day blood donation deferral for people looking to donate blood in England and north Wales who have travelled to countries where the Zika virus is endemic. | “From 4 February 2016, we will have a 28-day blood donation deferral for people looking to donate blood in England and north Wales who have travelled to countries where the Zika virus is endemic. |
| “Travel to most of these countries already brings a blood donation deferral of at least 28 days. A 28-day deferral for travel to areas with a tropical virus risk and a six-month deferral for travel to malarial areas exists. As a result we do not expect the introduction of a Zika donation deferral to significantly impact upon the number of people who can donate following travel abroad.” | “Travel to most of these countries already brings a blood donation deferral of at least 28 days. A 28-day deferral for travel to areas with a tropical virus risk and a six-month deferral for travel to malarial areas exists. As a result we do not expect the introduction of a Zika donation deferral to significantly impact upon the number of people who can donate following travel abroad.” |
| The new blood donation deferral measures will also apply in Northern Ireland and Scotland, although in the latter they will come into effect a day later, on Friday. | The new blood donation deferral measures will also apply in Northern Ireland and Scotland, although in the latter they will come into effect a day later, on Friday. |
| Between 2010 and 2014, an average of almost 1.4 million UK residents a year travelled to South and Central America and the Caribbean. | Between 2010 and 2014, an average of almost 1.4 million UK residents a year travelled to South and Central America and the Caribbean. |
| NHSBT’s move follows advice issued by Public Health England (PHE) last week recommending that couples who have visited any of the 23 countries in the Americas where the virus has been detected should not try for a baby for a month. The period was extended to six months if they feared they had contracted the virus or had been diagnosed as having done so. Like NHSBT, PHE described its advice as precautionary. | NHSBT’s move follows advice issued by Public Health England (PHE) last week recommending that couples who have visited any of the 23 countries in the Americas where the virus has been detected should not try for a baby for a month. The period was extended to six months if they feared they had contracted the virus or had been diagnosed as having done so. Like NHSBT, PHE described its advice as precautionary. |
| The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has also advised that any pregnant women in the UK who test positive for Zika should have additional scans to monitor the health of their babies. Expectant mothers usually have scans when they are 12 and 20 weeks pregnant but any pregnant women with a confirmed case of the virus should be scanned every four weeks, RCOG said. | The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has also advised that any pregnant women in the UK who test positive for Zika should have additional scans to monitor the health of their babies. Expectant mothers usually have scans when they are 12 and 20 weeks pregnant but any pregnant women with a confirmed case of the virus should be scanned every four weeks, RCOG said. |
| There is no vaccine for the virus and, according to experts, the prospects of a safe and effective one being available for humans is a long way off. Amid concerns about the rapid spread of the virus, the Medical Research Council (MRC) announced that it was making up to £1m from the government’s Global Challenges Research Fund available to researchers applying for grants to investigate the nature of the virus, its transmission and the potential links to neurological conditions including microcephaly. | There is no vaccine for the virus and, according to experts, the prospects of a safe and effective one being available for humans is a long way off. Amid concerns about the rapid spread of the virus, the Medical Research Council (MRC) announced that it was making up to £1m from the government’s Global Challenges Research Fund available to researchers applying for grants to investigate the nature of the virus, its transmission and the potential links to neurological conditions including microcephaly. |
| The chief executive of the MRC, Prof Sir John Savill, said: “It’s critical that we find out more about the Zika virus as soon as possible, so we are allocating funding to help researchers answer some of the most pressing questions about the disease. We need to be able to develop treatments and vaccines but first we need answers to vital questions about the nature of this virus – such as if and how it is changing, how to control the spread of the disease, and how to both diagnose and prevent infection.” | The chief executive of the MRC, Prof Sir John Savill, said: “It’s critical that we find out more about the Zika virus as soon as possible, so we are allocating funding to help researchers answer some of the most pressing questions about the disease. We need to be able to develop treatments and vaccines but first we need answers to vital questions about the nature of this virus – such as if and how it is changing, how to control the spread of the disease, and how to both diagnose and prevent infection.” |
| The virus is usually spread through mosquito bites, but investigators have been exploring the possibility it can also be spread through sex, and on Tuesday the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said a patient in Texas had been infected with the virus after having sexual contact with an ill person who returned from a Zika-affected country. | The virus is usually spread through mosquito bites, but investigators have been exploring the possibility it can also be spread through sex, and on Tuesday the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said a patient in Texas had been infected with the virus after having sexual contact with an ill person who returned from a Zika-affected country. |
| Last week, Public Health England warned men in the UK to wear condoms for a month after returning from any of the 23 countries affected by Zika. | Last week, Public Health England warned men in the UK to wear condoms for a month after returning from any of the 23 countries affected by Zika. |
| Meanwhile two adults have been confirmed with the Zika virus in Ireland. The cases – the first of their kind in the country – are unrelated to each other and both patients are said to be currently well and fully recovered. | Meanwhile two adults have been confirmed with the Zika virus in Ireland. The cases – the first of their kind in the country – are unrelated to each other and both patients are said to be currently well and fully recovered. |
| Both individuals have a history of travel to a Zika-affected country, Ireland’s Health Service Executive confirmed. Zika has also been confirmed in five British travellers since the start of the year. Ministers have insisted the risk posed by the spread of the virus to the British public remains “extremely low”. | Both individuals have a history of travel to a Zika-affected country, Ireland’s Health Service Executive confirmed. Zika has also been confirmed in five British travellers since the start of the year. Ministers have insisted the risk posed by the spread of the virus to the British public remains “extremely low”. |
| As well as being linked to thousands of babies being born with underdeveloped brains in Brazil, Zika is also thought to be connected to a rise in the number of patients in Colombia diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder which can cause paralysis. | As well as being linked to thousands of babies being born with underdeveloped brains in Brazil, Zika is also thought to be connected to a rise in the number of patients in Colombia diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder which can cause paralysis. |
| WHO officials have predicted 4 million people could be infected with the virus this year. | WHO officials have predicted 4 million people could be infected with the virus this year. |