Emerging infectious diseases and blood safety in Australia

A risk model was developed to estimate the TT risk in Australia associated with donors recently returned from overseas regions reporting outbreaks of infectious disease pathogens. The model was applied to the 2018 outbreaks of West Nile virus (WNV) in the European Union/neighbouring countries and the US. The results demonstrated that the WNV TT risk in Australia associated with the 2018 outbreaks in the EU/neighbouring countries and the US were very low. Based on the results of the WNV TT risk modelling, modelling was performed to estimate the cost-effectiveness of implementing WNV donation screening in Australia was performed. A risk assessment was performed, based on published data, to determine whether severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the aetiological agent of COVID-19, represented a risk to blood safety.