Keep Canada Zika-Free by RoseWrites Coffee Mug

On October 17th, 2016: The CDC posted Volume 23, Number 1—January 2017: Prolonged Detection of Zika Virus in Vaginal Secretions and Whole Blood which states: "We detected viral RNA in serum up to 8 days and in whole blood up to 81 days after onset of illness." Ergo, the Zika virus has been found in blood for almost 3 months. The standard protocol is to triple the time a virus is found to persist in blood. So, on the opposite side of the mug, I put "Wait 9 Months to Donate Blood". I was gobsmacked to discover that screening for U.S. blood donors (who travelled to Zika-endemic areas) only require a 28-day deferral. What's worse, in Canada, travelers only need to wait 21 days, according to Canadian Blood Services. After some investigating, I wrote "Zika Virus: Our Tainted Blood Supply" on InfoBarrel (under the pen name RoseWrites). I want to raise awareness that our blood supply may not be safe and urge blood donors (who travelled to Zika-endemic areas, including Florida) to wait at least 9 months or until further studies determine precisely how long the Zika virus remains in blood. The photo of the Canadian flag is by Alex Indigo on flickr (CC-by-2.0). It was taken in Toronto on December 21st, 2006. Note: You can change the background colour and choose from a variety of mug sizes and styles (including a travel mug or beer stein). P.S. I will donate 20 percent of my royalties from every sale of this mug in support of Zika research.