Donors who have travelled to countries affected by the Zika outbreak cannot give blood for a month after returning home, officials have said.
NHS Blood and Transplant said that "safety of the blood supply is paramount" as it implemented the 28-day ban on blood donation to ensure that the virus is not passed on.
When a person gives blood they are asked a series of questions including their recent travel history.
The NHS already has a series of "deferrals" in place for people returning home from areas affected by tropical illnesses - including a number of countries at the centre of the current outbreak. This list has now been extended to include all countries affected by the Zika outbreak.
Officials said that the move was a "precautionary measure".
"The safety of the blood supply is paramount and it is important we implement any precautionary blood safety measures agreed here as a result of an increasing prevalence of infectious diseases found around the globe," an NHS Blood and Transplant spokeswoman said.
"From February 4, we will have a 28 day blood donation deferral for people looking to donate blood in England and North Wales who have travelled to countries where the Zika virus is endemic.
"Travel to most of these countries already brings a blood donation deferral of at least 28 days. A 28 day deferral for travel to areas with a tropical virus risk and a six month deferral for travel to malarial areas exists. As a result we do not expect the introduction of a Zika donation deferral to significantly impact upon the number of people who can donate following travel abroad."
Meanwhile the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has advised that any pregnant women in the UK who test positive for Zika should have additional scans to monitor the health of their babies.
Expectant mothers usually have scans when they are 12 and 20 weeks pregnant but any pregnant women with a confirmed case of the virus should be scanned every four weeks, RCOG said.
Professor Alan Cameron, vice president for clinical quality at the professional body, said: "We fully support the advice that pregnant women should consider avoiding travelling to countries where Zika virus outbreaks are ongoing, in order to reduce the potential risk to their babies.
"Pregnant women who must travel, or choose to travel, to a country with active Zika virus transmission should take all necessary precautions to minimise the chances of mosquito bites. Insect repellents with concentrations of DEET up to 50% are commonly available and are safe for pregnant women.
"Women who are pregnant, and those trying to conceive, who have recently returned to the UK from countries with an active Zika transmission should inform their GP, midwife or obstetrician that they may have been exposed to the Zika virus, even if they do not have any symptoms.
"As a precaution, obstetricians across the UK have been provided with national guidelines on how to assess pregnant women with a history of travel during pregnancy to areas with active Zika virus transmission. This includes taking a detailed travel history, providing regular ultrasound scans and referral to specialist fetal medicine service if required.
"The RCOG is monitoring this evolving situation closely and will publish new information for health professionals as it emerges."
The news comes as the first known case of the Zika virus being sexually transmitted in the United States has been reported.
The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said a patient in Texas had been infected with the virus after having sexual contact with an ill person who returned from a Zika-affected country.
The virus is usually spread through mosquito bites, but investigators have been exploring the possibility it can also be spread through sex.
Last week, Public Health England warned men in the UK to wear condoms for a month after returning from any of the 23 countries affected by Zika.
In guidance the body said: "Sexual transmission of Zika virus has been recorded in a limited number of cases, and the risk of sexual transmission of Zika virus is thought to be very low.
"However, if a female partner is at risk of getting pregnant, or is already pregnant, condom use is advised for a male traveller."
Meanwhile two adults have been confirmed with the Zika virus in Ireland. The cases - the first of their kind in the country - are unrelated to each other and both patients are said to be currently well and fully recovered.
Both individuals have a history of travel to a Zika-affected country, Ireland's Health Service Executive (HSE) confirmed.
Zika has also been confirmed in five British travellers since the start of the year.
Ministers have insisted the risk posed by the spread of the mosquito-borne Zika virus to the British public remains "extremely low".
The World Health Organisation has declared an international emergency over the virus and its link to birth defects.
Zika has been linked to thousands of babies being born with underdeveloped brains in Brazil. Colombia has also seen a rise in the number of patients diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder which can cause paralysis.
WHO officials have predicted as many as four million people could be infected with the virus this year.