FDA Vetoes Tighter 'Mad Cow' Blood Restrictions
FDA Vetoes Tighter 'Mad Cow' Blood Restrictions
June 1, 2000 (Washington) -- After weighing the pros and cons of furthertightening U.S. blood donation restrictions to combat the spread of new variantCreutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), the human version of "mad cowdisease," an advisory panel to the FDA voted overwhelmingly to keep thingsas they are.
CJD is a disorder that attacks the brain, literally punching tiny holes invital nerve tissue. It is believed that CJD is caused by a prion, a proteinthat goes awry causing profound damage in the process. The disease strikesabout one in a million people, and eventually leads to dementia and death.There is no cure. Scientists believe that prions from animals infected with madcow disease are the source of CJD in humans, although the link has not beenconclusively proven.
FDA experts met Thursday to decide whether an existing ban, which preventssome people who have lived in the U.K. from donating blood in the U.S., shouldbe extended to France and other European countries that have reported cases ofCJD.
A number of European public health specialists told the panel that itappears the CJD outbreak is still spreading, albeit very slowly, to countriesbeyond Great Britain, where the disease has claimed at least 57 lives. Forinstance, Ireland has had 12 cases of CJD since 1996, and in France, there havebeen three CJD deaths in the last 2 years.
The experts, however, recommended no further donor restrictions, votinginstead to keep the blood supply flowing.
In August of last year, the FDA took steps to protect the U.S. blood supplyfrom the threat of CJD. Based on a recommendation by this advisory committee,the agency decided to ban blood donations from people who had spent at least 6months in the U.K. from 1980-1996. The theory was that they might have eatenBritish beef contaminated with mad cow disease.
It's estimated that the "deferral" on donors who'd been to the U.K.reduced the risk of catching CJD from transfusion by almost 90%. However, theaction also diminished the amount of donated blood by an estimated 2.2%.
FDA Vetoes Tighter 'Mad Cow' Blood Restrictions
June 1, 2000 (Washington) -- After weighing the pros and cons of furthertightening U.S. blood donation restrictions to combat the spread of new variantCreutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), the human version of "mad cowdisease," an advisory panel to the FDA voted overwhelmingly to keep thingsas they are.
CJD is a disorder that attacks the brain, literally punching tiny holes invital nerve tissue. It is believed that CJD is caused by a prion, a proteinthat goes awry causing profound damage in the process. The disease strikesabout one in a million people, and eventually leads to dementia and death.There is no cure. Scientists believe that prions from animals infected with madcow disease are the source of CJD in humans, although the link has not beenconclusively proven.
FDA experts met Thursday to decide whether an existing ban, which preventssome people who have lived in the U.K. from donating blood in the U.S., shouldbe extended to France and other European countries that have reported cases ofCJD.
A number of European public health specialists told the panel that itappears the CJD outbreak is still spreading, albeit very slowly, to countriesbeyond Great Britain, where the disease has claimed at least 57 lives. Forinstance, Ireland has had 12 cases of CJD since 1996, and in France, there havebeen three CJD deaths in the last 2 years.
The experts, however, recommended no further donor restrictions, votinginstead to keep the blood supply flowing.
In August of last year, the FDA took steps to protect the U.S. blood supplyfrom the threat of CJD. Based on a recommendation by this advisory committee,the agency decided to ban blood donations from people who had spent at least 6months in the U.K. from 1980-1996. The theory was that they might have eatenBritish beef contaminated with mad cow disease.
It's estimated that the "deferral" on donors who'd been to the U.K.reduced the risk of catching CJD from transfusion by almost 90%. However, theaction also diminished the amount of donated blood by an estimated 2.2%.
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