Vol. 516 No. 2
119 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health and Children the discussions, if any, he has had with the Blood Transfusion Service Board regarding the introduction of a screening test which would be available for NVCJD or data on the potential risk of transmission by blood. [7367/00]
125 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health and Children the plans, if any, he has to ban blood donors who have spent six months or more the United Kingdom during the BSE epidemics in view of the decision made by Canada, the United States and Singapore and the fact that a survey of Irish donors indicated that approximately 80% had visited the UK between 1980 and 1999 and 13% had been there for six months or more. [7373/00]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 119 and 125 together.
The question of deferring different categories of blood donors from donating blood is a matter for the Blood Transfusion Service Board. I understand that detailed research on variant CJD, vCJD, is currently being carried out internationally, and the Blood Transfusion Service Board and the CJD advisory group are closely monitoring this research. There is no proven or even probable instance of classical CJD having been transmitted through blood or blood products, but the theoretical possibility associated with vCJD cannot be excluded at this time. There is currently no screening test to detect the presence of vCJD. For my part, I will ensure that the BTSB has adequate resources to introduce proven new technologies in this area.
Experimental animal models suggest that the infectivity of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, which include vCJD, may be associated with white blood cells in animal systems. White blood cells can be removed from blood donations using special filters. This process is called leucodepletion, and the BTSB, as a precautionary measure, in order to minimise the theoretical risk of transmission, introduced leucodepletion for cellular products in 1999.
The BTSB's policy is to permanently defer potential donors who may be at risk of carrying CJD, including donors who have received a dura mater transplant, human pituitary derived growth hormone or have one or more blood relatives with CJD.
The countries referred to by the Deputy recommend that potential blood donors who spent a total of six months or more in the United Kingdom between 1980 and 1996 be permanently deferred from donating blood. As part of the decision-making process, the countries in question assessed the likely effect of such decisions on their blood procurement policies. I understand that the effects for those countries are significantly lower than the effect would be on the Irish blood supply under such a policy.
