Backgrounders
	Blood Safety Council
	Federal leadership to reform Canada's blood system since Justice Krever's Interim report
	Health Canada's role in blood safety
	Recent improvements in drug regulation

Information

November 26, 1997

Better disease surveillance and investigation

The Laboratory Centre for Disease Control (LCDC) has improved Canada's blood disease surveillance and investigative capacity.

LCDC identifies hazards to the blood system, assesses risks and promotes appropriate risk management strategies. Its health risk strategies are based on science, national consensus-building, and strong international linkages.

• a national surveillance system for Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) was initiated in January 1997. This system will provide a unique assessment of the potential of CJD transmission by blood.
• BBPD is working with researchers, including the Canadian Red Cross to determine the risk of hepatitis G in the blood supply. Additionally, the Blood-borne Pathogens/Hepatitis Virus Laboratory at LCDC provides a laboratory reference service for hepatitis G.
• An assessment of the risk in the blood supply of Trypanosoma cruzi, the cause of Chagas Disease, is being conducted in collaboration with the Canadian Red Cross (targeted to be available at the end of 1998).

The Blood-borne Pathogens Division is also assessing the risks of known pathogens to the blood supply:

• The Division is working with health units to put in place a surveillance system for hepatitis B and C.
• Risk estimates of transmission of HIV, HCV, HBV, and HTLV through the blood supply are being produced, in collaboration with the Canadian Red Cross.
• Incidence of blood-borne pathogens such as hepatitis C in injection drug users is being monitored, to assess the threat to the blood system from potential donors.
• The risks of bacterial infections from platelet transfusions are being assessed in collaboration with the Canadian Hospital Epidemiology Committee.
• Links are being forged with the US Centres for Disease Control, the American Red Cross, the UK National Blood Authority and the UK Centre for Disease Surveillance and Control on issues relating to transfusion risk.

Other blood risk management activities include:

• Publication of national "Recommendations on the prevention and control of hepatitis C" in 1995.
• Support for the Canadian Liver Foundation's hepatitis C public education program in 1995 ($100,000).
• Financial ($110,000) and scientific support for the Canadian Blood Agency to produce clinical practice guidelines on the utilisation of red blood cells and plasma (in cooperation with the Canadian Medical Association), published in May, 1997.
• An international meeting on CJD and recipient notification, which resulted in published positions on blood and CJD, and recipient notification, issued in collaboration with the provinces and territories.
• Providing epidemiologic data on blood-borne pathogens to the Bureau of Biologics and Radiopharmaceuticals, as it relates to the blood supply.
• Improved surveillance for HIV to detect new variants.
• A national network of laboratories being developed to detect new strains of viruses which may not be detected by current screening tests.
• A CJD nevropathology reference laboratory being established at the University of Toronto.
• The Blood-borne Pathogens Division will collaborate with the new Canadian blood services, on matters of surveillance of post-transfusion infectious adverse events.