ECDC assessed the risk to the EU/EEA of the presence and the possible transmission of prions, which have been linked to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, by blood and plasma-derived medicinal products (PDMPs) manufactured from donations obtained in the UK.
In May 2011, the European Commission asked ECDC to estimate the change in total exposure risk to hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) during reproductive cell handling and storage for secondary parties, if the current scheme of testing at each cell donation would change to testing partner donors of reproductive cells once or twice a year.
Following a request from the European Commission in August 2010, ECDC assessed the epidemiological history of Human T-lymphotropic Virus (HTLV) across the world, possible risks of HTLV transmission through transplantation of human tissues and cells, and possible measures to prevent such transmission.
ECDC plays an important role in providing its stakeholders with scientific advice when requested. On 23 September 2010 ECDC received such a request from the European Commission’s DG SANCO (Directorate C – Public Health and Risk Assessment).
Two developments in the field of variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (vCJD) occurred in 2009. In order to address a number of questions that were raised, ECDC internal and external experts prepared this risk assessment. The document focuses on how these new facts affect the current assumptions regarding transmissibility of the disease through blood transfusion and tissue/cells transplantation.