May 2003

Information

Blood Safety and Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (Variant CJD)

In April 2002, a possible case of variant CJD was reported to the Public Health Agency of Canada's CJD Surveillance System. The case has been confirmed by an expert on variant CJD in the United Kingdom.

The patient has not donated blood in Canada. However, he did undergo endoscopy, a medical procedure, in Canada. Although the risk of variant CJD being transmited to another person by a medical instrument is extremely low, the instrument used in the procedure has been destroyed. A number of patients who had a medical procedure with this device - after the patient with variant CJD had his procedure, and before the device was quarrantined due to a suspicion of the patient's disease - are being contacted by a public health team. As a precautionary measure, these individuals will be advised to not donate blood, organs or tissues. However, if any of these individuals have donated blood since their procedure, their blood components that have not been pooled will be retrieved and destroyed. If any blood components donated by those individuals have been pooled, the theoretical and remote risk of CJD transmission does not merit further action.

This action is consistent with the Public Health Agency of Canada's current approach for managing the risk of variant CJD and the blood supply.

There has never been a documented case of blood-borne variant CJD. The risk of transmitting variant CJD through blood is theoretical. As such, there is currently no known method for testing variant CJD in blood.

However, as a precaution, since 1999 Health Canada has implemented policies to protect Canadians from the theoretical risk of transmission of variant CJD through blood. Individuals who have lived in or visited high risk countries for BSE could have been exposed to meat or meat products from cattle infected with BSE, and are excluded from donating blood in Canada. This includes individuals who have:

• spent a cumulative period of time of 3 months or more in the U.K. between the years 1980 to 1996;
• spent a cumulative period of time of 3 months or more in France between the years 1980 and 1996;
• spent a cumulative period of time of 5 years or more in countries in Western Europe between the years 1980 and ongoing;
• received a transfusion of whole blood or blood components in the U.K. between the years 1980 and ongoing.

Any blood components for transfusion that are subsequently discovered to have come from a person with CJD are recalled and destroyed.