§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the currently available methods for the detection of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in living humans. [38559]
§ Mr. SackvilleWhile there are currently no reliable methods for ante-mortem detection of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, in a small proportion of cases, it may be possible to confirm the diagnosis by a brain biopsy while the patient is still living.
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance is issued to pathologists and postmortem technicians when handling cases involving or potentially involving transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. [38548]
§ Mr. SackvilleThe Department of Health issued guidance to national health service post-mortem staff on handling of bodies suspected to have had, or to have been at risk of developing Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease or Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker syndrome in April 1994. Further guidance from the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens on precautions for work with human and animal transmissible spongiform encephalopathies was issued in September 1994. Copies of each of these sets of guidance are available in the Library.
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the locations where homogenisation and centrifugation of potential transmissible spongiform encephalopathies takes place. [38851]
§ Mr. SackvilleHomogenisation and centrifugation of potential transmissible spongiform encephalopathies should take place in laboratories with containment level 2 facilities, with additional precautions as specified by the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens in its guidance on precautions for work with human and animal transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. Information44W about the locations of these laboratories is not available centrally.
Mr. HinchcliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what guidance is issued to NHS personnel in maternity units in respect of patients who have received human growth hormone; and what procedures are operated for the handling of placenta and membranes; [38852]
(2) what is the procedures for the disposal of human tissue obtained for the purpose of identifying a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy where tests confirm infection; [38553]
(3) how personnel involved in neurosurgical procedures are advised of potential health risks associated with transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. [38554]
§ Mr. SackvilleThe Department of health issued the NHS with guidance on precautions for work with human and animal transmissible spongiform encephalopathies produced by the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens in September 1994. Copies of this guidance are available in the Library.
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment the Department has made of the effectiveness of sodium hypochlorite as a sterilising agent for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies; how widespread is its use; and if he will make a statement. [38555]
§ Mr. SackvilleThe Advisory Committee on Dangerous pathogens guidance on precautions for work with human and animal transmissible spongiform encephalopathies assesses sodium hypochlorite to be the disinfectant of choice when autoclaving—the method of choice for decontamination—is not practicable. Information on its use is not available centrally but it is believed to be used widely.
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the Department's assessment of the nature of the causative agent for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies in humans. [38556]
§ Mr. SackvilleThere are currently three main hypotheses which identify a prion, virino or virus respectively as the causal agents for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies in humans. Details of these hypotheses are contained in the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee's publication "Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies: A Summary of Present Knowledge and Research", copies of which are available in the Library.
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the level of occurrence for(a) suspected and (b) confirmed Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, within the United Kingdom in the last year for which figures are available. [38557]
§ Mr. Sackville115 suspected cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease were reported to the national CJD surveillance unit in 1994. After further investigation, 59 of these were classified as definite or probable cases, of which 53 were sporadic CJD.