FDA - Recommends that ALL blood donations in the U.S. be screened for ZIKA Virus

FDA says to check all blood donations for Zika
5:59 p.m. Friday, Aug. 26, 2016 | Filed in: Health
The Food and Drug Administration now recommends that all blood donations in the U.S. be screened for the Zika virus.
The FDA previously advised screening only in areas with active Zika transmission, like parts of Florida and throughout Puerto Rico.
But the agency's acting chief scientist said in a statement Friday, "As new scientific and epidemiological information regarding Zika virus has become available, it's clear that additional precautionary measures are necessary."
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Blood centers already test for other blood borne viruses, such as HIV and hepatitis.
The FDA urged centers in 11 states to start following the new recommendations as soon as possible and no later than four weeks after the announcement.
These states are in close proximity to places where Zika is actively spreading or where there's been a significant number of cases contracted through travel or sexual contact.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 2,500 cases of Zika have been reported in U.S. states and D.C., and more than 9,000 have been reported in U.S. territories.
FDA officials say blood collection sites in Puerto Rico and parts of Florida are already testing for Zika. Several blood centers have started screening for the virus voluntarily, including several in Texas.
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/health-med-fit-science/fda-says-check-all-blood-donations-zika/nsMhd/

By David Begnaud CBS News August 26, 2016, 6:48 PM
Baby born with Zika virus is medical mystery       
MIAMI -- Eight-week-old Micaela was exposed to the Zika virus in the womb, but does not have microcephaly, the birth defect marked by an abnormally small head and brain. 
“She looks normal to me, but the doctors say she’s not,” said her mother, Maria Fernanda Ramirez Bolivar.
Ramirez Bolivar contracted the Zika virus​ in her native Venezuela when she was three months pregnant. Micaela has slight damage to one eye and stiffness on one side of her body.

Baby Micaela was born with Zika, but showed no signs of the virus before she was born. CBS News                                        
It took a team of doctors at the University of Miami​ several weeks to rule out other causes. 
Dr. Ivan Gonzalez is part of a her medical team, and said ultrasounds Ramirez Bolivar had in Venezuela and Miami all looked normal. 
Gonzalez said scans of Micaela’s brain show calcification, which is like a scar, and could lead to seizures down the road. Her prognosis is uncertain. 
“The plan right now is to follow her for five to six years,” Gonzalez told CBS News.
There is also more evidence that the effects of Zika​ are not limited to babies​.
In Puerto Rico, where Zika is an epidemic​, the CDC reported an increase in cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome. That’s a neurological disorder that causes muscle weakness and numbness. 
This year, 34 patients with the syndrome also had evidence of Zika or a similar virus infection. One person has died.
The CDC has set up a registry to follow pregnant women in the U.S.​ who’ve been infected with Zika. There are over 584 so far, and 16 babies have been born in the U.S. with Zika-related birth defects​.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/baby-born-with-zika-virus-is-medical-mystery/

Health  Zika Virus Outbreak
Aug 27 2016, 8:28 am ET
Zika Funding Delay in Congress Puts Americans at Risk, Obama Says
by Maggie Fox
**for the entire article clink on the link at the bottom of the insert!            

President Barack Obama urged Congress to make Zika funding its first priority after members return from a seven-week summer break, saying the delay is putting Americans at risk.
"[E]very day that Republican leaders in Congress wait to do their job, every day our experts have to wait to get the resources they need. That has real-life consequences," Obama said in his weekly radio address. "Weaker mosquito-control efforts. Longer wait times to get accurate diagnostic results. Delayed vaccines. It puts more Americans at risk."
"In February — more than six months ago — I asked Congress for the emergency resources that public health experts say we need to combat Zika," Obama said.
"That includes things like mosquito control, tracking the spread of the virus, accelerating new diagnostic tests and vaccines, and monitoring women and babies with the virus."
"Republicans in Congress should treat Zika like the threat that it is and make this their first order of business when they come back to Washington after Labor Day."
Obama asked for $1.9 billion in funding to fight the virus. Republicans in Congress refused, offering counter-proposals with part of that funding, and finally offering a bill that would defund Planned Parenthood, a move calculated to torpedo the bill as Democrats refused to support it.
As Zika's spread worsened, Congress left for its summer break. Federal agencies — which cannot spend new money unless it's appropriated by Congress — have had to shift cash around.
"Instead, we were forced to use resources we need to keep fighting Ebola, cancer, and other diseases," Obama said.
 Congress should treat Zika like the threat that it is and make this their first order of business when they come back to Washington after Labor Day. That means working in a bipartisan way to fully fund our Zika response," the president added.
Florida's Republican governor, Rick Scott, has criticized both Congress and the federal government. He says he'll be in Washington when Congress comes back on Sept. 6.
                      
"During Congress's vacation, we have identified 43 cases of locally acquired Zika in four Florida counties," Scott said earlier this week.
"The Zika virus demands immediate federal action and I will impress upon our congressional members the urgency to protect our residents and visitors."
But he also griped about the CDC, setting off an unusual back and forth with an agency that usually defers completely to the states.
"Last week, I requested that the CDC provide Florida with 5,000 Zika antibody tests, but they have only sent less than 1,200," Scott said.
"The Zika virus demands immediate federal action and I will impress upon our congressional members the urgency to protect our residents and visitors."
"This is unacceptable. We also requested additional lab support personnel to help the state expedite Zika testing and an additional 10,000 Zika prevention kits. It is disappointing that these requests have not been fulfilled."
The agency snapped back that it's been helping all along.
"CDC has and will continue to provide support to Florida to address the Zika outbreak. CDC experts in epidemiology, surveillance, and vector control have been on the ground for weeks supporting the state of Florida's response," it said.
"CDC has provided $35 million in federal funds for Zika and emergency response, including public health and emergency preparedness funds for both FY 2015 and 2016 that can be used to purchase items for Zika prevention kits. CDC also has provided 10,000 bottles of DEET for the kits."
DEET is one of the most effective mosquito repellents, CDC says, and is safe for everyone, including pregnant women, to use.
Obama offered medical advice to all Americans.
"If you live in or travel to an area where Zika has been found, protect yourself against the mosquitoes that carry this disease," he said. "Use insect repellent — and keep using it for a few weeks, even after you come home. Wear long sleeves and long pants to make bites less likely. Stay in places with air conditioning and window screens. If you can, get rid of standing water where mosquitoes breed. And to learn more about how to keep your family safe, just visit CDC.gov."
Men who may have been infected should use condoms to prevent sexual transmission, he added. Researchers say sexual transmission may be a common route of transmitting Zika.
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/zika-virus-outbreak/zika-funding-delay-congress-puts-americans-risk-obama-says-n638611