Chikungunya virus epidemics and blood donations

The Chikungunya virus, normally spread by Aedes mosquitoes, has caused several epidemics throughout the Caribbean and Puerto Rico since 2014.  This infection is characterized by a fever, and non-specific muscle and joint pain that can persist for months. A recent publication showed that 25% of blood donors seroconverted during these epidemics.  This articles outlines that the risk of transfusion-transmitted Chikungunya virus infection needs to be monitored, especially during outbreaks.


Emerg Infect Dis 2016

High Incidence of Chikungunya Virus and Frequency of Viremic Blood Donations during Epidemic, Puerto Rico, USA, 2014.

Simmons G, Bres V, Lu K, Liss NM, Brambilla DJ, Ryff KR, Bruhn R, Velez E, Ocampo D, Linnen JM, Latoni G, Petersen LR, Williamson PC, Busch MP.