Can I get CJD from RECEIVING blood products including transfusions?
The risk of catching CJD by receiving blood or blood products remains uncertain. Each year, we learn more about this disease, how to prevent it and how to advise people who might have been exposed to it. As of September 2004, there have been no recorded instances of vCJD being spread through plasma products from individuals who later developed vCJD. From time to time, certain groups are people are contacted by their doctors to warn them that they might be ‘at risk’ and what they can do next. This is because doctors and other experts are being very cautious. Up to September 2004, nine people who have donated plasma in the UK are known to have developed vCJD – in total they have made 23 plasma donations. The donated plasma has been used to manufacture some batches of some blood products in some UK companies. Some of these products might carry a risk of CJD, depending on how, when and where they were prepared. Not all plasma (or blood-derived) products are thought to be risky – for many,
