Transfusion-transmitted infections: risks and mitigation strategies for Oropouche virus and other emerging arboviruses in Latin America and the Caribbean

Abstract

Arboviruses impose a major public health burden in Latin America and the Caribbean due to widespread and potentially severe infections causing microcephaly and long-lasting arthralgia. Beyond canonical vector-borne transmission, the magnitude and risk factors for transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs) are unclear. In this narrative report, we use analyses of virological data such as infection symptomatology, viremic periods, and viral loads, to argue that dengue, Oropouche, Zika, yellow fever, and Chikungunya viruses pose an under-investigated risk of TTIs. An analysis of socioeconomic data showed that blood donation rates in Latin America and the Caribbean correlated with gross domestic product (r = 0.53, p = 0.0021) and health expenditure (r = 0.5, p = 0.0045), highlighting that resource limitations impact blood screening. Risk maps based on vector occurrence and ecological variables showed that Central America and Northwest coastal Brazil are high-risk zones, making surveillance, vector control, vaccination, and cost-effective blood screening crucial for mitigating TTIs, including Zika and potentially Oropouche viruses in pregnant women.