More patients at risk from CJD surgery - BBC News today watch Newsnight 10.30 tonight serious issue

[Beaaware]

So there you have it in 2011 people are still being put at risk of the human form of mad cow's disease (vCJD), confirmed today on BBC new website that 21 brain surgery patients have received letters from the Queens Hospital in Romford Essex where they had their operations, also a further 38 patients in Wales were told on saturday that they also have been put at risk of CJD after surgery.
If our Department of Health started to screen all blood donors, all organ donors, all patients due for operations where re-usable stainless steel instruments are used then there would be no concern.
I urge you all to watch BBC2 Newsnight tonight at 10.30.

slight error in the title sorry, but it should actually read:
"More patients at risk from CJD after surgery"

Hospital where I work we don't screen for CJD before surgery but we now have to ask people if they've ever been told they're at risk of CJD. So I suppose that would be people who have had a letter like what you're describing. But technically because of a lack of screening anyone who has a had a blood transfusion or had an operation with a reusable instrument could be at a tiny risk. Its worrying isn't it. But then you don't hear of lots of people developing it/dieing from it. Will watch the programme though, thanks.

VivaLeBeaver, unfortunately from what I have heard people can be mis-diagnosed as vCJD has similar symptons to dementia victims also another is chronic fatigue syndrome, some people are not put on the national statistics for whatever odd reason, and there is no autopsy for vCJD many vCJD victims just never appear in the national papers, I have seen them in local papers though. What I fail to understand is that they have the ability to decontminate stainless steel instruments and screening tests for blood but don't use them, there was a massive trial in France on screening donated blood using the latest technology by a company called Amorfix, some of these blood samples were found to be positive for vCJD and France is not considered a high risk nation but we are and we dont screen blood even though millions of us have been told that between 1980 - 1996 we may have been exposed.
I shall be watching Newsnight with interest.

I do think we ought to screen blood donors, seems crazy not to.

My brother has chronic fatigue syndrome thinking of all the cheap burgers we ate in the 80s

Did you watch this programme VivaLeBeaver, at last this is out in the open and shocking that hospitals are not using the sterilisation methods available to destroy prions on surgical steel instruments, instead they are playing god with peoples lives. Apparently hospitals will only use the prion destroying decontamination method if legally required to do so, this means that patients have no say or choice until after their operations when they are then given the devastating news that a previous patient had CJD/vCJD. I understand not all patients are even told this, it is upto the authority. One of the DOH scientists expressed his concerns that after all these years we are not taking this issue seriously. 59 people have been told they are at risk of developing CJD/vCJD, from just 2 hospitals in the UK, how many more people have not been told of the risks. The more pressure that is put on government the more likely action will be taken.
There is a protest on 12th May in London to Downing Street if anyone is interested asking for government to keep to screen all blood donors and protect public health.

I may be wrong about this but did a recent study afternoon on transfusion and blood components and the tutor did say that they are planning to screen for CJD in the near future,obv implications being that less people may come forward for donating blood in case they were found to have cjd.I am off to google as i am sure there are plans for NBS to screen...

I did see it and it is shocking. I felt so sorry for that bloke, must be like having a death sentence hanging over you and no way of knowing when/if it will strike. He's sort of stuck in limbo becuase at least if you knew you had a year/2 years to live you could plan and do stuff with your family that you want to do before you dies, etc.

I wonder if it comes down to money. The hospitals will decide whether the cost of using this stuff for every operation is more expensive that the compnesation that would have to be paid to a very small amount of people if they were infected or put at risk. If the compensation money is liable to be less than they won't use it.

Though in fairness some spokesman did say they wanted extra research doing - now whether that is an excuse or whetehr there is genuinely some dispute about whether this stuff works or not I don't know. I can see hospitals been unwilling to use it if its not proven.

I think hospitals may only use it if CNST standards say that hospitals have to use it in order to achieve CNST standards. Out of all the bodies I see this one seems to be able to influence practice the most - again because it comes down to money. CNST will save a trust money if they comply with their standards.