The Blood Center of Central Texas today implemented two new practices and announced a planned measure debuting Oct. 3 that will safeguard the area’s blood supply against the Zika virus—an infection transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito, Public Relations Manager Cindy Rowe said.

1. All blood donations will be tested for the Zika virus.

Beginning Sept. 12, even though donated blood had been tested for other health issues prior to today, a blood test for the Zika virus will be added, Rowe said. There is no difference in how the Zika test will affect donors or how much blood is drawn for a donation, she said.

"The Zika test is performed on every donor’s blood post-donation and has no direct impact on your donation experience," Rowe said. "It is simply an addition to the 14 other post-donation blood tests that are performed on every unit of blood we draw."

2. 17-year-old donors are required to bring written consent.

Beginning Sept. 12, all 17-year-old donors must have prior written consent from their parents or guardians allowing them to donate blood and agreeing to the Zika test for the donated blood, Rowe said. Although the test is authorized for use by the Federal Drug Administration, she said it is still classified under a new drug application that requires parental consent for anyone younger than 18 years old. The minimum age for donating to the center is 17 years old and the minimum weight of a donor is 115 pounds, she said.

The first Central Texas high school blood drive to implement the consent form for 17-year-old students is Rouse High School on Sept. 13, followed by Liberty Hill High School on Sept. 15 and Lehman High School on Sept. 16.

3. A deferral period to donate blood for travelers to infected areas will be removed.

Beginning Oct. 3, the center’s list of Zika-affected regions will be removed along with a corresponding deferral period—the time that travelers to these areas had to wait before donating blood, Rowe said. Since all donations will be tested, there is no longer a need for this deferral period, she said.

"Implementing this [Zika blood screening] test is good news for our blood supply," Rowe said. "Not only does it protect us all from Zika entering our blood supply, but it will also allow us to remove the Zika-related travel deferrals we previously implemented."

More information is available at www.inyourhands.org.