12:36pm (UK)
Blood Recipients to Get Vcjd Warning

By Louise Gray, Scottish Press Association

A number of people who received blood products prior to 1999 are to be warned they could be at risk of carrying vCJD, the human form of mad cow disease, it was revealed today.

Health officials are to inform all those who received blood products from donors who subsequently died from the brain wasting disease.

The move, ordered by the Department of Health, follows a vCJD risk assessment first announced by Health Minister Dr John Reid in December last year.

Dr Reid said measures to prevent the possible spread of vCJD, launched after a patient who had received a transfusion from someone with vCJD died of the disease, would include an assessment of blood products used before 1999 and informing anyone who received blood products from donors who later died of vCJD.

He said: “Many more patients of course, including haemophiliacs, will have received plasma products before plasma was sourced from the USA. They will have received products derived from large pools of plasma donated from many thousands of people and thus heavily diluted.

“The UK-wide CJD Incidents Panel considers the risks for this group to be even lower than for those who received whole blood. It is very difficult to trace all individual recipients of products made from these plasma pools. However, the CJD Incidents Panel will be advising on a case-by-case basis which recipients will need to be contacted as the necessary information becomes available.”

Patients will be informed in September after the Health Protection Agency (HPA) has carried out the risk assessment on UK patients who received blood or plasma products prior to all plasma products being sourced from the US in 1999.

A Department of Health spokesman said: “The HPA has carried out a risk assessment exercise, as indicated by the Secretary of State in his December 2003 statement.

“The Department of Health has asked the HPA to lead on preparations for notifying patients who have received plasma products, and we have been working with the Agency, clinicians’ representatives and the patient groups on this.”

It is understood letters will urge each patient to contact a specialist.

But the Department of Health expressed concern the results of the risk assessment exercise are communicated to patients in a sensitive and appropriate manner directly by the doctors and other clinicians who care for them.

A spokesman added: “It would be grossly unfair on the patients involved to discuss the results of the risk assessment exercise in the media before patients are informed of the outcome.

“A full public statement will be made at the appropriate time.”

Any person with concerns may ring NHS Direct on 0845 4647

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