New York Blood Center will begin screening all blood donations for the Zika virus, it announced Tuesday.
The change by the nonprofit community blood center follows a “revised guidance” by the FDA recommending that all states and U.S. territories screen whole blood and blood components for Zika to curtail transmission of the virus, which is associated with an increased risk of catastrophic birth defects.
The FDA recommended that New York State begin testing within four weeks. The NYBC will “bring all of their facilities into compliance with the new FDA testing guidance within the prescribed time period,” officials there said in a statement.
