Tropical viruses - Whole blood and components

Essential information

Definition/s

Tropical virus endemic areas are shown in the Geographical Disease Risk Index as a Tropical Virus risk.

Includes

Tropical viruses:

  • Chikungunya Virus, also known as CHIKV
  • Dengue Virus, also known as Dengue Fever
  • Yellow Fever, also known as YF
  • Zika Virus, also known as ZIKV, and Zika Virus Fever

This entry applies to donors who will donate whole blood, platelets and other cellular components.

Excludes

This entry does not apply to donors who will only donate plasma for fractionation. For these donors, see Tropical viruses - plasmapheresis donors.

Obligatory

Must not donate if:

  1. It is less than 6 months from a donor's return from a Tropical Virus Risk endemic area and the donor has been diagnosed with Chikungunya, Dengue, Yellow Fever or Zika Virus infection whilst there or following their return to the UK.

  2. It is less than 6 months from a donor's return from a Tropical Virus Risk endemic area and the donor has either had a history of symptoms suggestive of Chikungunya, Dengue, Yellow Fever or Zika Virus infection whilst there or following their return to the UK.

  3. In other cases, it is less than 4 weeks from a donor's return from a Tropical Virus Risk endemic area.
Discretionary

All donors may be accepted 6 months after their return from an affected area or resolution of symptoms. This may be reduced to 4 weeks if they have had neither symptoms nor evidence of infection.

Supporting information

See if relevant
Additional information

Chikungunya, Dengue, Yellow Fever and Zika viruses are spread by the day-flying mosquito species Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.

As these mosquitoes are typically found in tropical and subtropical regions, the main geographical areas affected by tropical virus infection are the Caribbean, South and Central America, Mexico, Africa, the Pacific Islands, Southeast Asia, the Indian sub-continent, Hawaii and northern parts of Australia.

The range of Aedes albopictus is also increasing into more temperate zones, leading to outbreaks of tropical virus disease in new areas. There have been outbreaks of Dengue and Chikungunya in parts of Europe.

Position Statements are available.

Chikungunya Virus:

Chikungunya is an alpha virus that can cause a wide spectrum of disease. This may range from no or minimal symptoms to death. Most commonly it causes arthritis (typically in the knee, ankle and small joints of the extremities), high fever and a maculopapular rash.

Chikungunya Virus is found in countries in Asia, Africa, Central and South America, and in the islands of the Caribbean. There is no evidence of person-to-person transmission except through blood transfer. Transfusion-transmission from an asymptomatic individual has not been documented. Nevertheless, restrictions after travel to a Chikungunya virus risk area were introduced to reduce any risk of transmission through blood or tissue donation.

Dengue Virus:

Dengue Virus is a flavivirus that typically gives rise to abrupt high fever with a range of accompanying symptoms.

Dengue fever (DF) is the most common insect-borne disease worldwide. Dengue is currently considered endemic in approximately 140 countries. Transfusion-transmission has been reported.

Overall, up to 75% of cases are asymptomatic or mild. If symptoms occur, they can range from non-specific acute febrile illness to severe disease including dengue haemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome. Mild cases may be misdiagnosed as other febrile illnesses.

Yellow Fever Virus:

Yellow Fever Virus is a flavivirus which is found in Africa, South America, Central America and parts of the Caribbean. Symptoms of Yellow Fever include high temperature, headache, nausea and vomiting, muscle pains and backache. One in four individuals may suffer from jaundice and bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract and other sites.

Zika Virus:

Zika Virus is a flavivirus which was known to occur in Africa and parts of Southeast Asia. More recently, Zika Virus has been associated with epidemic outbreaks in the Pacific region and in the Americas. As well as mosquito-borne infection, Zika Virus can be spread through sexual transmission. Infection is usually asymptomatic or presents as a mild self-limiting febrile illness. More severe disease and hospitalisation are rare but infection during pregnancy carries a high risk of congenital abnormalities in the baby. Zika Virus infection may be mistaken for Chikungunya or Dengue infections as these viruses often co-circulate.

Regulatory information

This entry is a requirement of the Blood Safety and Quality Regulations 2005.

Reason for change:
Entry updated to exclude donors who will only donate plasma for fractionation.
Version details:

WB-DSG Edition 203 Release 71 (02 May 2024)