Lifeline Blood Services screens potential donors for Zika virus

JACKSON, Tenn. — Lifeline Blood Services in Jackson now screens donors for the Zika virus, a disease spreading across the world that could cause birth defects. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends at-risk donors delay giving blood.

“This is a precaution to assure that disease really shouldn’t be transmitted by blood,” Lifeline Blood Services CEO Joe Schifano said.

Schifano said people who travel to places such as Central America, South America and the Caribbean, where the Zika virus is present, will have to wait four weeks before giving blood. “The national numbers say that about a percent or two of people will be deferred in that time period,” he said.

Schifano said they already have had several people delay donating. “Spring break’s coming, mission trips, vacations, so they’ll be more,” he said.

Shanna Shearon with the Jackson-Madison County Regional Health Department said so far there have not been any confirmed cases of Zika virus in West Tennessee. “If you’re not planning on traveling overseas, there’s really no need for concern,” Shearon said.

Schifano said they plan to recruit extra people to make up for the volunteers who cannot donate. “West Tennessee donors are wonderful,” he said. “They always respond to needs, and they will now too.”

Scientists suspect Zika virus can lead to a birth defect that causes babies to be born with a smaller than normal head and brain that has not developed properly.

Shearon recommends international travelers wear protective clothing and insect repellent to prevent the mosquito-borne illness from spreading.