Page 28 - ARUBA TODAY

A28 SCIENCE
Friday 11 May 2018
Study finds little bang for the buck in Zika blood testing

By MIKE STOBBE done by the American Red
AP Medical Writer Cross, which collects 42
NEW YORK (AP) — Screen- percent of the U.S. blood
ing blood donations for the supply. They focused on
Zika virus netted only a few donations from the Lower
infections at a cost of more 48 states from June 2016 to
than $5 million for each September 2017.
positive test result, accord- Health officials say there
ing to new research. have been four transfusion-
The study was the first large related Zika cases reported
look at the impact of guide- in Brazil, but none in the
lines set two years ago, United States.
when the Zika epidemic The FDA has never before
was an unfolding menace revoked a recommenda-
in the U.S. and health of- tion to test blood dona-
ficials were scrambling to tions for a potentially harm-
prevent new infections. ful germ, and it’s unlikely
The study, published the agency would do that
Wednesday by the New now, experts said.
England Journal of Medi- But the agency could call
cine, found that the blood for a less intensive screen-
donation testing require- ing called mini-pool test-
ments offered little bang ing. Rather than running
for the buck. It also raised a test on each separate
questions about whether donor, mini-pool testing in-
a cheaper testing method volves mixing samples from
should be used. 16 donors and testing the
In more than 4 million blood batch. When a batch tests
donations checked in the positive, individual testing
United States, nine tested This 2016 digitally-colorized electron microscope image made available by the Centers for is done to find the tainted
positive for the Zika virus. Of Disease Control and Prevention shows the Zika virus, in red, about 40 nanometers in diameter. donation.
those, three were consid- Latin America and the Ca- spread through transfu- the necessity for it,” said Dr. That’s what’s done with
ered an infection threat. ribbean in 2015 and 2016, sions, the U.S. Food and Darrell Triulzi, a University of West Nile virus and other
“We can’t afford to spend with a few very small out- Drug Administration in 2016 Pittsburgh transfusion medi- germs, experts said.
that kind of money to find a breaks in the southern Unit- called on all blood banks cine specialist. Mini-pool testing would
single case,” said Dr. W. Ian ed States. The virus is mainly to screen for it. The new study is the first cut the cost of Zika testing
Lipkin, a Columbia Univer- spread by tropical mosqui- “The risk from transfusion large one to evaluate in half, said Susan Stramer,
sity infectious diseases ex- toes, but scientists also dis- was poorly known. We put whether the testing made one of the study’s authors
pert who was not involved covered some infections this testing in place as a sense, he added. and vice president of sci-
in the research. were spread through sex. precaution without really The researchers looked at entific affairs at the Red
Zika infections swept across Fearing Zika might also having solid data about the results of screenings Cross.q
Cancer docs feel unprepared, but recommend marijuana anyway

By CARLA K. JOHNSON and simple,” said Dr. Ilana knowledge to do so.
AP Medical Writer Braun of Dana-Farber Can- “They’re not as close-mind-
SEATTLE (AP) — Nearly half cer Institute in Boston, who ed as you might think, and
of U.S. cancer doctors who led the study published they also feel they have a
responded to a survey say Thursday in the Journal of lot to learn,” Braun said.
they’ve recently recom- Clinical Oncology. The survey was conduct-
mended medical mari- Patients want to know what ed in a random sample of
juana to patients, although their doctors think about cancer doctors; research-
most say they don’t know using marijuana. In the new ers got completed surveys
enough about medicinal study, cancer doctors said from 237 doctors, or 63 per-
use. their conversations about cent.
The results reflect how mari- marijuana were almost al- Marijuana is considered an
juana policy in some states ways started by patients illegal drug by federal of-
This Sept. 15, 2015 file photo shows marijuana plants a few weeks
away from harvest in a medical marijuana cultivation center in has outpaced research, and their families, not by ficials and federal restric-
Albion, Ill. the study authors said. the doctors themselves. tions have limited research.
Associated Press All 29 states with medical Overall, nearly eight in 10 Last year, the National
marijuana programs allow cancer doctors reported Academies of Sciences,
doctors to recommend it having discussed mari- Engineering and Medicine
to cancer patients. But no juana with patients or their concluded the lack of sci-
rigorous studies in cancer families, with 46 percent entific information about
patients exist. That leaves recommending it for pain marijuana poses a risk to
doctors to make assump- and other cancer-related public health.
tions from other research problems to at least one There’s evidence marijua-
on similar prescription patient in the past year. na can treat chronic pain
drugs, or in other types of Among those who said in adults and medications
patients. they recommended mari- similar to marijuana can
“The big takeaway is we juana, 56 percent said ease nausea from chemo-
need more research, plain they did not have sufficient therapy. q