§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures his Department has taken to inform and reassure people who have received blood transfusions since 1980, and will now not be allowed to donate blood, on the risk of vCJD infection. [163473]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThe National Blood Service (NBS) has produced two leaflets for donors giving them more information about the new donor exclusion criteria. The first leaflet is entitledVariant CJD and blood donation and is a general information leaflet for donors. The second leaflet, entitled Keeping things safe, is for those donors who have received blood since 1 January 1980 in the United Kingdom and can therefore no longer give blood. Copies of these leaflets can be obtained from the NBS website at www.blood.co.uk or from the NBS helpline. Donors will also receive an information leaflet entitled A change to the rules for blood donors with their invitation letter to give blood.
The NBS has run some press advertising in national newspapers in early April. These adverts addressed why this change is happening, what the risks are and how people can help.
In addition, any patient who has concerns can contact NHS Direct.
§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what research is being (a) undertaken and (b) funded by his Department on (i) diagnosis and (ii) treatment of vCJD, and the risks of infection through blood transfusion. [163475]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThe diagnosis of pre-clinical infection is a major part of the Department's programme of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) related research. There are 13 contracts that are currently being424W funded through the policy research programme. In addition, the Department is currently funding seven projects to asses the risk of transmission through blood, and five projects to develop new therapeutic compounds and the CJD clinical trial. Over £30 million has been committed to date on CJD research.
§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether recipients of blood transfusions after 5 April will be prevented from donating blood. [163476]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThe new donor exclusion criteria will apply to anyone who has received a blood transfusion since January 1980. This is because there is still a risk that the person from whom the recipient received the blood may have been exposed to variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease by dietary exposure.
§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have received(a) transfusions of whole blood components and (b) transfusions of other blood products since 1980. [163480]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonInformation on the number of patients who have received blood transfusions or other blood products is not collected centrally. However, the National Blood Service estimates that in recent years, 800,000 patients in England and North Wales received a blood transfusion per annum.
§ Nick HarveyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to extend the ban on blood donations from those who have received a blood transfusion since 1980(a) to organ donation recipients and (b) to prevent recipients of blood transfusions from donating organs; and if he will make a statement. [164280]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonIndividuals who have had an organ transplant ate excluded from giving blood because of their treatment. All potential organ donors are assessed at the time of their death to identify any risk of disease transmission to the donor.