Written question asked by Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat) on Thursday, 18 December 2003, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 12 February 2004. It was answered by Melanie Johnson (Labour) on Thursday, 12 February 2004 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dept of Health

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many recipients of (a) blood and (b) blood products derived from donors who subsequently were confirmed to have variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease have been identified.

Answer: Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many recipients of (a) blood and (b) blood products derived from donors who subsequently were confirmed to have variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease have been identified. [145452] Miss Melanie Johnson: There have been 15 recipients of blood in England and Wales from donors who were later confirmed as having variant Creutzfeldt Jacob disease (vCJD). Information on the numbers of patients who may have received blood products from donors diagnosed with vCJD is currently not known. The Chief Medical Officer will oversee any further work and investigation that is required.

Secondary information