Should blood donors be tested for variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease?

Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) is one of the prion diseases (disorders that arise from an irreversible mutation in the prion protein). The BSE epidemic in the United Kingdom is generally acknowledged to have been the cause of this disorder. Variant CJD displays a different clinical and pathological picture from the classic form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in that young people can also contract the disease and in many patients vCJD initially manifests itself in behavioural changes, which result in a visit to a psychiatrist. The patients usually die after a period of just over one year. A decade after it was first reported, vCJD remains a progressive and invariably fatal disease.

Committee

• Prof. J.A. Knottnerus; Health Council, The Hague, President
• Prof. J.K.M. Gevers, Professor of Health Law; AMC, University of Amsterdam, Vice-President
• Prof. I.D. de Beaufort, Professor of Medical Ethics; Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam (until 12 October 2006)
• Dr. G.C.M.L. Christiaens, gynaecologist; University Medical Centre, Utrecht
• Prof. J.C.J. Dute, Professor of Health Law; Erasmus University, Rotterdam
• Prof. R.P.T.M. Grol, Professor of Quality Improvement and Control in General Practice; St Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen
• Prof. G.R.J. de Groot, Professor of Health-Care Insurance Law; VU University Amsterdam
• Prof. H. Jochemsen, Professor of Medical Ethics; prof. dr. G.A. Lindeboom Institute (PLI), Ede (from 12 December 2006)
• Prof. J.C.J.M. de Haes, Professor of Medical Psychology; AMC, University of Amsterdam
• R.M. den Hartog-van Ter Tholen, Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, The Hague, adviser
• Prof. G.A. den Hartogh, Professor of Ethics; University of Amsterdam
• Prof. A.C. Hendriks, Professor of Health Law; University of Leiden / healthcare lawyer, Equal Opportunities Commission (CGB), Utrecht
• Dr. W.L.M. Kramer, paediatric surgeon/traumatologist; Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, University Medical Centre, Utrecht
• Prof. F.E. van Leeuwen, Professor of Epidemiology; Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam
• Prof. J. Legemaate, Professor of Health Law; VU University Amsterdam / healthcare lawyer, Royal Dutch Medical Association (KNMG), Utrecht
• Prof. M. de Visser; Vice-President of the Health Council, The Hague
• Prof. G.M.W.R. de Wert, Professor of Biomedical Ethics; University of Maastricht
• Prof. M.A. Verkerk, Professor of Medical Ethics, University Medical Centre, Groningen
• Prof. D.L. Willems, Professor of Medical Ethics; AMC, University of Amsterdam
• A. Bood LLM; Health Council, The Hague, scientific secretary
• Dr. W.J. Dondorp; Health Council, The Hague, scientific secretary