2023-12-02 09:05:54
Barcelona Maria lives in Madrid and a few days ago she got off the Red Cross blood donation bus with her mouth open. They didn’t let him donate blood because he had been in Barcelona less than 28 days ago. After passing the data questionnaire on risk factors, medications and diseases, it was the turn of the medical interview with more confidential data. Among them, if there have been trips to countries where there may be outbreaks of communicable diseases. The first question they asked him already squeaked: “Have you been to Huelva?”. “No”. The doctor continued with a list of provinces: Seville, Valencia, Badajoz… Barcelona. “Yes, three weeks ago.” “Well, you can’t donate. There are cases of dengue, and Sanitat says you have to wait a month before you can donate,” the health worker concluded.
According to ARA, in Madrid, the population that has visited Barcelona, Tarragona, Valencia, Cáceres, Badajoz, Huelva, Seville and Toledo, are excluded from donating blood until a month has passed since their return “due to the detection of West Nile Virus and dengue cases”. They are now considered transmission risk areas. This situation extends to travelers in France, Italy and Greece and some areas of Germany. The donation of these territories to Navarre is also restricted, according to the publication the Association of Blood Donors of Navarre.
The health alert is twofold: the same sources point out that the first, about dengue, was activated in mid-November; the second, issued this same Friday, is due to the Nile virus. However, according to government sources, the Health Department is aware of the alerts, but in no case is the donation being prevented. “According to the current protocol, blood donations are not limited in these situations. Screenings are only being carried out in some cases,” the same sources point out.
Five cases of donors in the State
In general, there are no donation restrictions between autonomous communities, but temporary exclusions can be applied for certain areas and different times of the year. “I didn’t take it badly, but I didn’t expect it,” admits Maria. Llatest report on the epidemiological situation of cases of arbovirus in Catalonia points out that, since June 5, 116 confirmed and 33 suspected dengue cases have been reported, and 2 of the Nile virus. The cases that the health authorities are usually alerted to are autochthonous, that is to say, those affected have not traveled to endemic areas and have been infected in territories that are a priori out of risk.
According to the report, no cases of Nile virus have been registered and of dengue, so far, five have been registered: one in the municipality of Celrà; one in a person who lived between Barcelona and Tarragona; one in Prat de Llobregat and two more in Malgrat de Mar, considered an outbreak. This last case has been considered closed by Health: the last affected person started showing symptoms on October 2 and more than 45 days of surveillance have already passed without any related case. “In addition, the results of the entomological inspection samples were negative for the detection of the virus,” added government sources.
Outside of Catalonia, the case of Extremadura stands out, where the Nile virus was detected in two asymptomatic blood donors in Badajoz, and that of Andalusia, where the Ministry of Health has detected the presence of this virus in mosquitoes caught in Huelva and Seville. The three provinces are part of the temporarily excluded territories.
“We have 20 cases this year and 5 are from blood donors,” warns the researcher of the Coordination Center for Health Alerts and Emergencies María José Sierra, who assures that viruses transmitted by insects are a growing public health problem in Spain. Sierra has alluded to the cases of dengue in Catalonia and the Nile virus in Valencia and has stressed that it has been four consecutive years with these types of outbreaks in various parts of the State.
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