7.18 Other Infectious Agents | New Zealand Blood Service

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Transfusion medicine

Transfusion medicine handbook

The Transfusion Medicine Handbook is designed to assist hospital staff and other health professionals in modern Transfusion Medicine Practice.

7. Adverse Effects of Transfusion

7.18 Other Infectious Agents

There are a number of other viral and parasitic infections that can be transmitted by transfusion, for example malaria (Plasmodium species), Chagas disease (Trypanosoma cruzi), Dengue, Zika and West Nile virus. These are not endemic in New Zealand, but a blood donor may be exposed or become infected during travel or residence abroad. The risk of acquiring Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and variant CJD from blood transfusion remains very low and neither has ever been reported in New Zealand. Rare cases have been reported in the UK.

It is important for NZBS to identify at-risk donors who will then either be selectively deferred from donating or tested for evidence of infection.

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