A Quick And Easy Zika Virus Test Has Been Approved By The FDA

A Quick And Easy Zika Virus Test Has Been Approved By The FDA

Given the global panic that Zika caused two years ago, you would think that several different companies raced to have their Zika testing devices on the market first. Surprisingly, neither the public nor the private sector managed to have a convenient Zika test approved for use. Developing quick and convenient Zika testing technology is of the utmost importance for volunteers at blood-banks. Now that the United States Food and Drug Administration has approved this handy Zika test, citizens don’t have to worry about tainted blood.

This will not be the first time that the new Zika diagnostic device has been used. Last year, the company that developed the Zika test, Roche Pharmaceuticals, ended up giving their Zika testing devices to blood-banks. At the time, the Zika testing devices had not yet been approved by the FDA and the testing devices were still stuck in the “investigational” stage. However, the FDA still allowed blood-banks to make use of the cutting edge Zika testing devices. The FDA decided to allow the testing devices to be used after both Florida and Puerto Rico saw a significant increase in Zika cases.

Thanks to the Zika testing devices, all blood-banks in Florida used the technology to test every blood donor during the late summer of 2016. According to Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, testing blood donors for the Zika virus at all blood-banks is a required public health measure. These tests are essential for ensuring that the nation’s blood supply remains free from disease. Ever since the experimental Zika testing devices became available for use in the summer of 2016, all blood donors in the state have been tested for the Zika virus. Officials with the FDA are urging all states to make use of the new Zika testing technology.

Did you give blood either this summer of last summer? If you did, were you tested for Zika?