On April 2, 2020, in the morning, the BPAC will meet in open session to discuss and make recommendations on strategies to reduce the risk of ZIKV transmission by blood and blood components. The committee will discuss whether universal testing of blood donations for ZIKV is an appropriate strategy considering the decline of ZIKV cases in the United States and worldwide. In the afternoon, the committee will meet in open session to hear an update on the TTIMS. Sponsored by the FDA, the National Institutes of Health National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute,and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, TTIMS collects incidence, prevalence and risk factor data for certain transfusion-transmitted infections, including human immunodeficiency virus, in U.S. blood donations.

On April 3, 2020, the committee will meet in open session to discuss and make recommendations on testing for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in blood donations. The committee will discuss whether testing for HBsAg can be discontinued considering the sensitivity of hepatitis B virus nucleic acid testing and hepatitis B anti-core testing of blood donations in the United States.

Update: On March 11, 2020, the FDA postponed this meeting until further notice. The Agency stated, “The FDA, like other government agencies, is taking the necessary steps to ensure the agency is prepared to continue our vital public health mission in the event that our day-to-day operations are impacted by the COVID-19 public health emergency. Therefore, we are canceling or postponing all non-essential meetings through the month of April. We will reassess on an ongoing basis for future months. Where possible the agency will leverage technology to host meetings allowing for remote participation.”