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Government acts to reduce blood CJD risk

The government plans to import plasma, the liquid part of blood, from abroad where the new variant CJD is less prevalent.

Mr Dobson said there was only a "theoretical risk" of infection from UK blood and that the measures were only a precaution.

He added: "There is no new evidence about new variant CJD being transmitted via blood products or blood - the risk remains only hypothetical.

"But we must proceed on the principle that it is better to be safe than sorry.

"If there is even a hypothetical risk and there are available safe alternative sources, then it makes sense to use them."

Dozens of products are manufactured from plasma.

They include immunoglobulins which help treat a range of diseases such as tetanus.

Another is albumin which is given to burns patients and used as an ingredient in medicines and vaccines such as polio.

Haemophiliacs also use clotting products made from plasma.

At present, there is no way to screen the blood for signs of CJD contamination before it is used.

Dr Jeremy Metters, deputy Chief Medical Officer stressed: "We must ask ourselves, do we wait and see, or do we do something about it as a precaution."

He stressed that vaccines currently used in the UK childhood immunisation programme do not contain albumin produced from UK blood products.

Blood used in transfusions also carries a theoretical risk of transmitting CJD.

However the chances of receiving a contaminated batch is much smaller than from a blood product which is made from a pool of up to 66,000 donations.

The review of UK blood products should be completed within three to four months and the switch to foreign plasma supplies is likely to take two months.

Doctors have stressed it is vital for people to continue making blood donations.

Relevant Stories

Hong Kong CJD alert (22 Jan 98 | World)
Hundreds given contaminated blood in Ireland (15 Dec 97 | World)
Swiss blood test for BSE (06 Nov 97 | World)

Internet Links

The UK CJD Surveillance Unit
BSE CJD Page - British Medical Journal

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

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