CJD
Further precautions to protect the blood supply in the UK have been announced by Health Secretary, John Reid. The new measures mean that recipients of blood transfusions are to be excluded from donating blood in the future as a further precautionary measure against the possible risk of transmission of variant Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease (CJD).
The new measures to change the eligibility for blood donation will be implemented from 5 April 2004. It will exclude people who have received a blood transfusion after 1 January 1980 because it is believed that there will have been no exposure to BSE, commonly known as 'mad cow's disease', in the UK before this date. Health Secretary, John Reid, said while the risk attached to this group of blood donors is uncertain, the risk could be slightly higher than for the population as a whole.
The announcement is the latest in a number of measures that have already been implemented to reduce the risk of CJD being passed through the blood. White blood cells, which are thought to carry the greatest risk of transmitting CJD, are already removed from all blood used for transfusions. The National Blood Service has estimated that 52,000 donors will be lost as a result of the initiative. However, Reid said that measures have been put in place to help compensate for these losses.
"Excluding these donors will inevitably lead to a reduction in the supply of blood available for transfusions. Any slight risk associated with receiving blood must be balanced against the significant risk of not receiving that blood when it is most needed," said Reid.
