Increased and rapid travel of the population may lead to asymptomatic people donating infectious blood. A clear and detailed travel history must be obtained from all donors to minimise the risk of transmission of malaria, Trypanosoma cruzi and emerging diseases such as West Nile Virus, Dengue Virus, Zika Virus and Chikungunya virus.
The latest JPAC Donor Selection Guidelines1 should be consulted for any donor with a relevant travel history.
Horizon scanning is performed by UK Blood Services to identify new and emerging pathogens which may threaten the safety of donated products.4