West Nile Virus

[cessna152towser]

The blood donor team were in town today so after the Remembrance Sunday church service I went along kilted to give my blood donation.
I was told I am not eligible to give blood due to the risk that I may be carrying West Nile Virus as I have returned from Canada or the USA within the past twenty eight days. It is just 25 days since I returned from California.
I had always thought of Canada and USA as safe countries to visit, in the past there have been no restrictions on giving blood here in Scotland shortly after visiting one of these countries.
Only another three days to go and hopefully I will be clear of this and eligible to give blood next weekend though it would mean travelling to another town to do so.
Is West Nile Virus something we should be worried about?

[Chas]

The blood donor team were in town today so after the Remembrance Sunday church service I went along kilted to give my blood donation.
I was told I am not eligible to give blood due to the risk that I may be carrying West Nile Virus as I have returned from Canada or the USA within the past twenty eight days. It is just 25 days since I returned from California.
I had always thought of Canada and USA as safe countries to visit, in the past there have been no restrictions on giving blood here in Scotland shortly after visiting one of these countries.
Only another three days to go and hopefully I will be clear of this and eligible to give blood next weekend though it would mean travelling to another town to do so.
Is West Nile Virus something we should be worried about?

I always thought that in Egypt there was an Upper Nile and a Lower Nile and that the Nile flowed South to North. That would mean that there was an East Bank and a West Bank - but the West Bank is in Gaza and that is a whole country away. Just what have you been doing on your holidays Alex?

Regards

Chas

[Cynthia]

I hope this link helps:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/west..._factSheet.htm

[Paul]

I think the name either comes from the fact that it was studied within Egypt - or more likely; that cases from Egypt being examined led to the discovery/revelation of the virus. Look into it if you want (not on wikipedia though )

[tyger]

Bear in mind that any seological positive test does not necessarily mean that you were ever infected with the agent at question. This is because some so-called positive results are false positives, as opposed to true positives.

You might be interested in this:

From Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports, May 2009http://http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/previ...cid=mm5817a2_x:

False-Positive Results with a Commercially Available West Nile Virus Immunoglobulin M Assay --- United States, 2008

In September 2008, CDC, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and state health departments began a nationwide investigation into an increase in false-positive test results obtained with a commercially available West Nile virus (WNV) immunoglobulin M (IgM) capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The investigation revealed that, in the United States, one lot of the commercially available test kits was the source of the false-positive results (1). That lot was recalled, and a second lot distributed outside the United States also was recalled (1). During July 1--September 30, 2008, the kit lot implicated in the United States resulted in positive tests on 568 specimens collected from 518 patients in 42 states and the District of Columbia (DC). A total of 166 (29%) specimens were retested at CDC, and 119 (72%) had false-positive results. A higher false-positive percentage were found among patients without evidence of neuroinvasive disease (77%) than patients with evidence of neuroinvasive disease (47%). Of the 518 patients, 249 (48%) had been reported to CDC as persons with WNV disease; however, only 45 (18%) had confirmatory testing that supported their inclusion in national surveillance data. Commercially available WNV test kits should be used to determine a presumptive diagnosis of WNV neuroinvasive disease. These kits should not be used to test specimens from persons without compatible illness, and any positive result should be confirmed by additional testing at a state health department or CDC.

[ccga3359]

West Nile is not a problem here in Canada. I've been turned down for donating blood because I've had a tattoo in the past six months even though tattoo parlours are heavily regulated and a new sterilized needle is used for each tattoo and the needle destroyed in front of the recipients eyes at the conclusion of the tattoo. In Canada the red cross has been sued successfully for allowing the transfusion of hepititus tainted blood. They take no chances now. Even on the application there is a question regarding contact with same-sex partners, I'm sure if this box is ticked then all blood from that donor is subsequently destroyed. To test every pint of blood for numerous possible things such as Hep, HIV, WNV and such must be mind-boggling. I guess they're erring on the side of safety. It's a shame, yet comforting at the same time.

[Galician]

I think the name either comes from the fact that it was studied within Egypt - or more likely; that cases from Egypt being examined led to the discovery/revelation of the virus. Look into it if you want (not on wikipedia though )

Paul, prior to 1999, the disease was confined to the Middle East. That year it turned up here in New York City, where several people, thousands of crows and other birds and a couple dozen race horses died. It then slowly swept across the U.S.A. Native American species of birds were totally vulnerable, as it had never been seen in the Americas before. It's only very recently that I am starting to see crows again.

[vmac3205]

It's a tick thing. Captmac and I are monthly pheresis donors, and we always have to deny spending large amounts of time in the UK. It flows both directions.

[Arlen]

It's a tick thing. Captmac and I are monthly pheresis donors, and we always have to deny spending large amounts of time in the UK. It flows both directions.

Same here. A lot of folk get West Nile from Mosquitoes here. whenever I was in Scotland I would have to wait for a month after any of my American trips to give blood.

[ronstew]

It's a tick thing.

Am I misunderstanding you, Victoria? It's not a tick thing, it's a mosquito thing.