Tag Archives: Testing

FDA recommends Zika testing for all blood donated in U.S.

An edes aegypti mosquito is seen inside a test tube as part of a research on preventing the spread of the Zika

(Reuters) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended on Friday that all blood donated in the United States and its territories be tested for Zika virus, as it moves to prevent transmission of the virus through the blood supply.

The agency’s move to expand its previous guideline for blood screening comes after Florida officials on Tuesday announced the first case of Zika transmitted by mosquitoes in Pinellas County, some 265 miles from Miami, where the first locally transmitted U.S. cases were reported.

The FDA last month ordered blood banks in Florida’s two most densely populated counties – Miami-Dade County and Broward County – to stop collecting blood.

The FDA also recommended that nearby counties implement the same measures.

Zika was detected in Brazil last year and has since spread across the Americas. The virus poses a risk to pregnant women because it can cause severe birth defects. It has been linked to more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly in Brazil.

Health officials warned pregnant women last week not to travel to Miami Beach after Florida confirmed the mosquito-borne Zika virus was active there.

The agency had recommended in February that blood should no longer be collected from regions where the Zika virus is circulating, and that blood needed for transfusions be obtained from areas of the country without active transmission.

The FDA has authorized the emergency use of several investigational Zika screening tests, including products made by Hologic Inc <HOLX.O> and Roche Holding AG <ROG.S>.

(This version of the story corrects second paragraph to say Pinellas County is “some 265 miles from” Miami, not “near” Miami)

(Reporting by Ankur Banerjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta and Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)

China Testing ICBM With Multiple Warheads

China has carried out a test of a long range missile that is capable of delivering multiple independent nuclear warheads.

The test of the DF-41 missile marks the longest range intercontinental ballistic missile in China’s arsenal.  It’s also the first missile in China’s fleet that is capable of delivering multiple warheads.

The development means that China will likely have a rapid, significant increase in the total number of large warheads available for missile launch.  The defense department estimates that China currently has around 240 very large warheads.

China had announced the likely power of the DF-41 in a report earlier this month.

“The DF-41, which could be deployed as early as 2015, may carry up to 10 MIRVs, and have a maximum range as far as 7,456 miles, allowing it to target the entire continental United States,” the report said. “In addition, some sources claim China has modified the DF–5 and the DF–31A to be able to carry MIRVs.”

Defense department officials say that China’s new missile would require the United States to upgrade its current ballistic missile defense systems.