vCJD protection ‘not cost effective’

THE state’s independent safety watchdog says new technology that could save lives from blood transfusion transmitted vCJD is not “cost effective”.

The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) examined the use of prion filters that would remove almost all of the residual risk of vCJD transmission from red cell concentrates — blood from which most of the plasma and platelets has been removed.

HIQA estimated that the measure proposed by the Irish Blood Transfusion Service, initially costing €11 million annually, would potentially prevent two deaths from vCJD over a 10-year period. The rare and fatal neuro-degenerative condition, related to mad cow disease, is caused by infectious prion particles.