Monitoring Donor and Patient Safety

Stem Cell Transplants and the West Nile Virus

The West Nile virus has been detected throughout much of the United States. The Centers for Disease Control continues to investigate possible West Nile virus transmission through organ transplantation.

While the NMDP is not involved in organ transplantation, it does facilitate marrow and stem cell transplants. The safety and well being of stem cell recipients and donors is of the utmost importance to the National Marrow Donor Program^® (NMDP). As such, the NMDP will take all possible measures to assure the safety and well being of stem cell recipients and donors.

The National Marrow Donor Program screens donors who are scheduled to donate marrow or blood stem cells for any signs or symptoms of illness. For West Nile virus, these symptoms include.

• fatigue,
• fever, aches,
• headache,
• visual changes, and
• stiff neck.

If a donor exhibits any of these symptoms, the donor will be reevaluated and may not be allowed to proceed to donate until the symptoms have disappeared.

The NMDP also routinely monitors donors after their donation and will be able to manage information from donors who experience any symptoms of fatigue, fever, aches, headache, visual changes and stiff neck after their donation of stem cells.

The National Marrow Donor Program is closely monitoring developments on this issue.

The West Nile virus is transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito. Only one-third of people bitten by infected mosquitoes will develop symptoms and signs of encephalitis.