REGULATORY UPDATE: CDC Reports Ongoing Global Polio Activity and Increasing Donor-Derived HHV-8 Risk

A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Travel Health Notice highlights the ongoing global circulation of poliovirus, primarily circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2, and the need for enhanced precautions for international travelers.

The Level 2 notice states that multiple countries across Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia have reported poliovirus in either human cases or environmental samples within the past 13 months. The notice emphasized the importance of maintaining up-to-date vaccination prior to travel and advised adults who completed the routine childhood polio vaccine series to consider receiving a single lifetime booster before traveling to areas where the virus continues to circulate.

At the same time, a recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) article describes a rise in suspected donor-derived Kaposi sarcoma–associated herpesvirus (KSHV/HHV8) infections among recipients of solid organ transplants in the United States. Between January 2021 and September 2025, 46 deceased donors were identified as potentially transmitting HHV8 to recipients, approximately a fivefold increase from the previous five-year period. Nearly half of the associated recipients developed posttransplant HHV8 infection.

The MMWR authors noted that limited availability of KSHV testing, particularly serologic assays, has complicated surveillance of donor-derived infections. They suggested that expanded testing capacity could facilitate routine donor screening in the future and help mitigate transplant-related complications. The authors also advised clinicians caring for solid organ transplant recipients to maintain a high index of suspicion for KSHV and to consider diagnostic testing in appropriate clinical scenarios, particularly when donor risk factors or linked recipient infections are identified.

These reports highlight issues that may be relevant to professionals working in transfusion and transplantation medicine. The continued circulation of poliovirus and the rise in donor-derived HHV8 complications both illustrate how evolving infectious threats can influence patient management, donor screening considerations and public health preparedness.

AABB Updates Emerging Infectious Disease Fact Sheets