Federal health regulators announced on March 30 that they will allow the use of an investigational test to screen and check donated blood for signs of Zika virus.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of the blood test, which was manufactured by New Jersey-based Roche Holding AG, to screen donated blood in areas affected by the mosquito-borne Zika virus.

In February, the agency recommended that blood should no longer be collected from regions in the United States where Zika is circulating.

At the moment, however, the FDA urges areas with active Zika transmission to fulfill blood orders from areas where the virus is not propagating, except when the blood is tested with an FDA-licensed screening test.

Dr. Peter Marks said an experimental test is imperative in maintaining the country's blood supply. He said the test is especially important for U.S. territories that are already experiencing active Zika transmission.

Should Zika transmission occur in other areas in the future, establishments can continue collecting blood donations and, at the same time, use the screening test for safety measures. This will minimize the disruption to the blood supply, Marks said.

The Health and Human Services (HHS) department said it is arranging shipments of blood products to Puerto Rico to make sure there is an adequate supply of safe blood, especially as the territory struggles with Zika.

Now, once screening begins, the collection of whole blood and blood component donations will resume in Puerto Rico, officials said.

"The bottom line is," said Marks, "we are going to work with blood centers in Puerto Rico to try to help as many as possible make use of the investigational test."

The Roche test is expected to be ready within the next week or so.

Meanwhile, the FDA approved a new three-in-one laboratory test for mosquito-borne diseases two weeks ago, which could potentially speed up the diagnosis of Zika virus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the 3-in-1 test kit will determine whether a person has Zika, chikungunya or dengue. Existing methods require three separate methods to detect each infection.

The kits will be distributed to facilities that belong to the country's Laboratory Response Network. The test will not be given to hospitals and other primary care settings.

Photo : Gabriel Flores Romero | Flickr