Health Dept. releases blood

[Guest guest]

December 24, 1998

Health Department releases blood that had been quarantined

OTTAWA (CP) -- The Health Department has released thousands of vials of

blood from quarantine after deciding there is no risk of infection from

blood donated by a U.S. donor with Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease.

The decision will avert the risk of shortages of crucial blood products in

Canada over the holiday season.

The decision reverses a 1995 policy banning the use of blood products

associated with donors diagnosed with Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease unless they

are required in life threatening situations.

Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease, also known as Mad Cow disease, is a serious

neurological illness.

, director of the federal Bureau of Biologics and

Radiomedicals, told a news conference Thursday that federal officials

consulted experts in Canada and abroad and are confident the blood poses no

risk.

The quarantine was imposed last week after officials learned a 29-year-old

Utah man diagnosed with Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease had donated blood nearly

100 times in the past two years.

said it has been established the Utah donor suffered from classic

Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease, not from a new, less-understood variant of the

disease.

There is no evidence the classic form of the disease can be transmitted by

blood, said .

There is still uncertainty about whether the new variant of the disease can

be transmitted by blood, and blood donated by someone diagnosed with the new

variant will continue to be withheld.

So far, new-variant Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease has not been diagnosed outside

of the United Kingdom and France.

said a great deal of scientific evidence has accumulated since the

introduction of the 1995 policy banning all blood associated with

Creutzfeld-Jakob donors.

" All the evidence points to there being no transmissability of CJD (classic

Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease) in blood products. That evidence was not available

in 1995. "

Canadian Blood Services had been warning of possible shortages of blood

products over the holiday period if the quarantined blood was not released.

[Guest guest]

You don't " decide " on a risk, you analyse whether there is a risk...

At 08:34 AM 12/27/98 EST, LArmstr853@... wrote:

>From: LArmstr853@...

>

>

> December 24, 1998

>

> Health Department releases blood that had been quarantined

> OTTAWA (CP) -- The Health Department has released thousands of vials of

> blood from quarantine after deciding there is no risk of infection from

> blood donated by a U.S. donor with Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease.

>

> The decision will avert the risk of shortages of crucial blood products in

> Canada over the holiday season.

>

> The decision reverses a 1995 policy banning the use of blood products

> associated with donors diagnosed with Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease unless they

> are required in life threatening situations.

>

> Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease, also known as Mad Cow disease, is a serious

> neurological illness.

>

> , director of the federal Bureau of Biologics and

> Radiomedicals, told a news conference Thursday that federal officials

> consulted experts in Canada and abroad and are confident the blood poses no

> risk.

>

> The quarantine was imposed last week after officials learned a 29-year-old

> Utah man diagnosed with Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease had donated blood nearly

> 100 times in the past two years.

>

> said it has been established the Utah donor suffered from classic

> Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease, not from a new, less-understood variant of the

> disease.

>

> There is no evidence the classic form of the disease can be transmitted by

> blood, said .

>

> There is still uncertainty about whether the new variant of the disease can

> be transmitted by blood, and blood donated by someone diagnosed with the new

> variant will continue to be withheld.

>

> So far, new-variant Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease has not been diagnosed outside

> of the United Kingdom and France.

>

> said a great deal of scientific evidence has accumulated since the

> introduction of the 1995 policy banning all blood associated with

> Creutzfeld-Jakob donors.

>

> " All the evidence points to there being no transmissability of CJD (classic

> Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease) in blood products. That evidence was not available

> in 1995. "

>

> Canadian Blood Services had been warning of possible shortages of blood

> products over the holiday period if the quarantined blood was not released.

>

>

>------------------------------------------------------------------------

>