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NHS Imposes Blood Donation Ban On Travelers To Halt Zika Infection

New concerns have emerged over Zika as it’s feared the virus can be sexually transmitted and could impact blood donations. The National Health Service (NHS) has banned travelers from donating blood for 28 days after returning from countries that are currently hit by Zika in order to prevent the virus from spreading. Doctors have also blocked organ donations from those who have recently traveled to countries with a high incidence of Zika. A spokesman for NHS Blood and Transplant said: “We are putting a deferral on people donating blood for 28 days after they have been to a zika infected countries. RT reports: The NHS has banned transplanting organs from living donors carrying the disease, as well as those who died while infected. “We are putting a deferral on people donating blood for 28 days after they have been to Zika infected countries,” a spokesperson for the NHS said. “Most of the countries affected by Zika already have a similar deferral because of other diseases, so we are expecting it will have a minimal impact. “There are reports of possible Zika virus transmission by blood transfusion and it is probably that infection may also be transmitted by organ transplantation.” The [...]