Website of the Department of Health

Guidance

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy agents: Safe working and the prevention of infection

Guidance from the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens and the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee, as udpated since 2004 by the ACDP TSE Working Group.

• Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy agents: Safe working and the prevention of infection (opens new window)

Use of pentosan polysulphate in the treatment of, or prevention of, vCJD

Pentosan Polysulphate has been proposed as a potential prophylactic or therapeutic agent for CJD. In October 2003, the UK Health Departments asked the Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM) and the CJD Therapy Advisory Group to review their current advice in light of clinical information on the single patient who had been receiving cerebroventricular pentosan polysulphate since January 2003, and on new unpublished research data.

• Use of pentosan polysulphate in the treatment of, or prevention of, vCJD

Guidance on local reporting by clinicians of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) and local action by consultants in communicable disease control (CsCDC)

Prepared originally in 1999 as a collaborative exercise between the National CJD Surveillance Unit, Edinburgh, the Public Health Medicine Environmental Group, the Health Protection Agency Centre for Infections, Health Protection Scotland and the UK Health Departments. This updated version (2006) of the guidance will be kept under review and updated as necessary.

• Guidance on local reporting by clinicians of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) and local action by consultants in communicable disease control (CsCDC) (opens new window)

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: guidance for health workers

This guidance (August 2000) is intended to guide healthcare professionals caring for patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and their families. It has been written in recognition of the fact that some features of CJD may make care provision more difficult.

• Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: guidance for health workers

HSC 2000/032: Decontamination of medical devices

Circular HSC 2000/032 identifies the immediate and medium-term actions required to ensure that decontamination is carried out effectively. It also sets out the information needed to gather a robust picture of decontamination provision nationally and describes the support available to assist NHS trusts, Health Authorities and Primary Care trusts in delivering the actions required

• HSC 2000/032: Decontamination of medical devices

Controls assurance in infection control: decontamination of medical devices

The purpose of HSC 1999/179 is to emphasise the importance of implementing existing guidance on the cleaning and sterlization of medical devices. A CD-ROM titled Decontamination Guidance, which draws together the extant Department of Health guidance on the complete process relevant to the decontamination of medical equipment, has been produced to assist those responsible for implementing best practice.

• Controls assurance in infection control: decontamination of medical devices

HSC 1999/178: Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD): minimising the risk of transmission

HSC 1999/178 describes the present state of knowledge of the risks of transmission of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) from one patient to another. It details theaction that health organisations and clinicians should already be taking to reduce the risk of transmission and recommends some further precautionary measures.

• HSC 1999/178: Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD): minimising the risk of transmission

BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy): background and general occupational guidance

Health and Safety Executive and Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens, 1996.

• BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy): background and general occupational guidance (opens new window)

Risk assessments

Potential vCJD transmission risks via dentistry: an interim review

Published: 14/12/2007

This report considers the potential risk to public health of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) being transmitted by re-use of instruments in "High Street" (i.e. non-hospital) dentistry.

• Potential vCJD transmission risks via dentistry: an interim review

Dentistry and vCJD: The implications of a “carrier state” for a self-sustaining epidemic due to endodontic dentistry - a preliminary assessment

Published: 26/09/2007

This paper is a preliminary analysis of the possible risk of vCJD being transmitted via certain instruments (filers and reamers) used in endodontic dental procedures. It was presented to the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC) in February 2006, and underpinned the subsequent decision that files and reamers should not be re-used.

• Dentistry and vCJD

Risk assessments for vCJD transmission via donated bone or tissues

Published: 31/10/2006

This preface introduces a pair of papers produced by analysts in the former Economics and Operational Research (EOR) Division within DH, setting out risk assessments for vCJD transmission via donated bone and tissues. Both have drawn heavily on expert scientific input and guidance.

• Risk assessments for vCJD transmission via donated bone or tissues

Risk assessments for vCJD and blood transfusion

Published: 01/07/2006

This page introduces a pair of papers concerned with possible vCJD transmission via donated blood, both produced by analysts within the Economics and Operational Research (EOR) Division of DH.

• Risk assessments for vCJD and blood transfusion

Assessing the implications for blood donors if recipients are infected with vCJD

Published: 20/07/2005

Existing analyses consider the risk of a recipient of blood or blood products being infected, if the donor were to be incubating the disease. The purpose of this note is to help the CJD (Creutzfeldt - Jacob Disease) Incidents Panel consider the 'reverse' situation, in which a recipient is found to have the disease, with the donor (or donors) so far remaining free of symptoms.

• Assessing the implications for blood donors if recipients are infected with vCJD

Assessing the risk of vCJD transmission via surgery: an interim review

Published: 15/06/3005

This paper updates previous analysis of the risks of vCJD being transmitted via re-use of surgical instruments.

• Assessing the risk of vCJD transmission via surgery: an interim review

Risk assessment for vCJD and dentistry

Published: 01/07/2003

This report analyses the potential risk of vCJD transmission through re-use of instruments in dental surgery. Based on an existing EOR model for hospital surgery, the analysis considers a wide range of scenarios to allow for multiple uncertainties. It covers procedures carried out in "high street" dental practice, rather than more specialised maxillo-facial surgery.

• Risk assessment for vCJD and dentistry

Risk assessment for transmission of vCJD via surgical instruments: a modelling approach and numerical scenarios

Published: 01/02/2001

Sets out a methodology for assessing the risk of transmission of vCJD throughthe re-use of surgical instruments. Given the multiple uncertainties surrounding this issue,straightforward prediction is not considered feasible. Instead, a scenario-building approachis developed.

• Risk assessment for transmission of vCJD via surgical instruments: a modelling approach and numerical scenarios

CJD/BSE Committees

The Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens (ACDP) Working Group on TSE's

The Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens was appointed by the Health and Safety Commission as part of its formal advisory structure and by Health ministers. Its temporary chairman is Professor Roger Freeman.

• The Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens (ACDP) Working Group on TSE's

CJD Incidents Panel

The CJD Incidents Panel, established in 2000, is an expert committee set up by the Chief Medical Officer to assist all those bodies responsible for the provision and delivery of healthcare to decide on the most appropriate action to take to handle incidents involving potential transmission of CJD and vCJD between patients through clinical interventions.

• CJD Incidents Panel (opens new window)

CJD Therapy Advisory Group

This group will advise all four UK health departments on potential therapeutic agents for CJD. In formulating its advice, the Group will take into account the work of other committees in this field.

• CJD Therapy Advisory Group

Public summaries of meetings of the CJD Incidents Panel

PDF documents about meetings held by the CJD Incidents Panel, to report on progress and to stimulate debate about issues raised.

• Public summaries of meetings of the CJD Incidents Panel