Arbovirus - A threat to transfusion safety in Spain: A narrative review

Abstract

Arboviruses represent a threat to transfusion safety for several reasons: the presence of vectors and the notification of autochthonous cases in our region, the recent increase in the number of cases transmitted through blood and/or blood component transfusion, the high prevalence rates of RNA of the main arboviruses in asymptomatic blood donors, and their ability to survive processing and storage in the different blood components.

In an epidemic outbreak caused by an arbovirus in our region, transfusion centres can apply different measures: reactive measures, related to donor selection or arbovirus screening, and proactive measures, such as pathogen inactivation methods.

The study of the epidemiology of the main arboviruses and understanding the effectiveness of the different measures that we can adopt are essential to ensure that our blood components remain safe.