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Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

Answer

The following precautionary measures have been implemented to protect the blood supply and products made by fractionating plasma:"From December 1997, blood components, plasma products or tissues obtained from any individual who later develops variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), have been withdrawn/recalled to prevent their use;""From October 1999, white blood cells (which may carry a risk of transmitting vCJD) have been reduced in all blood used for transfusion, a process known as leucodepletion or leucoreduction;""Following the report of the first possible case of transmission of vCJD by blood transfusion in December 2003, individuals who had themselves received a transfusion of blood components since January 1980 were excluded from donating blood. This took effect from April 2004, and in July 2004, this exclusion criterion for blood donation was extended to include two further groups, who had received transfusions of blood components since 1980:""Previously transfused platelet donors,""Donors who were unsure if they had previously had a blood transfusion. This now applies to donors who have been transfused anywhere in the world;""Since 1999, plasma for the manufacture of fractionated plasma products, such as clotting factors, has been obtained from non-United Kingdom sources;""Since 2004, fresh frozen plasma for treating babies and young children born on or after 1 January 1996 has been obtained from non-UK sources, and from July 2005 its use was extended to all children up to the age of 16; and""Cryoprecipitate, for use in the under-16s, is now produced from imported methylene blue treated-plasma."All of these measures were recommended or endorsed by the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (which first met in January 2008) or its predecessor committees.Additionally, considerable effort is being extended to promote appropriate use of blood throughout the national health service, to target blood use to where it is clinically essential, and for bleeding disorder patients (such as haemophiliacs) UK plasma has not been used for the manufacture of clotting factors since 1999 and recombinant clotting factors are now available for all patients for whom they are suitable.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

55158; 528 c60-1W

Session

2010-12

Subjects

CJD

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk