Emerging infectious disease agents and blood safety in Australia: spotlight on Zika virus

To the Editor:

I found the article by Kiely and colleagues1 very interesting. The authors concluded that “it should be noted that a relatively small number of imported ZIKV [Zika virus] infections have been reported in Australia, there have been no reported cases of local ZIKV transmission, and the geographical distribution of the potential ZIKV mosquito vector in Australia (Aedes aegypti) is limited to northern Queensland,” and that “at present, ZIKV represents a low risk to blood safety in Australia.”1

Indeed, Kiely and colleagues may be correct in their statement. Nevertheless, without supportive evidence, it seems too soon to draw a conclusion. The estimation of the risk or possibility of transfusion-transmitted ZIKV infection in each setting may be based on mathematical modelling with reference to risk of transmission of other arboviruses in that setting. A good example is the previous report on the estimated risk of transfusion-transmitted ZIKV infection in Thailand.2 However, the lack of reports on ZIKV transmission does not mean that the problem does not exist; many patients with ZIKV infection are asymptomatic and can be easily missed.3