5. Member States shall ensure that every blood establishment has a unique identifier that enables it to be precisely linked to each unit of blood that it has collected and to each blood component that it has prepared.

Whilst there is no specific blood test for vCJD, test development is financially supported by the EU, as is a long term project in which the risk of BSE transmission through transfusion of blood is being assessed, and in which the blood components harbouring infectivity will be identified.

(20) Modern blood-transfusion practice has been founded on the principles of voluntary donor services, anonymity of both donor and recipient, benevolence of the donor, and absence of profit on the part of the establishments involved in blood transfusion services.

BLOOD SAFETY AND SELF-SUFFICIENCY - COUNCIL RESOLUTION "THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, RECALLING the Commission communication of 25 May 1993 on blood self- sufficiency in the European Community and its conclusions of 13 December 1993 on that communication; NOTES with interest the Commission communication of 21 December 1994 on blood safety and self-sufficiency in the European Community; REAFFIRMS the need to achieve self-sufficiency in blood and its derivatives in the Member States and in the Community, in particular through cooperation between Member States, in accordance with the principle of voluntary, unpaid blood donations; EMPHASIZES that the efforts to promote the quality and safety of blood collection help to prevent AIDS and ...[+++] other communicable diseases; RECALLS that Directive 89/381/EEC [1] which extends the scope of Directives 65/65/EEC and 75/319/EEC on proprietary medicinal products by laying down special provisions regarding medicines derived from human blood or plasma applies only to these products; AGREES on the need to define a strategy for reinforcing trust in the safety of the blood-transfusion chain and promoting self-sufficiency in the Community; ACCORDINGLY AGREES that, taking full account of the Council of Europe's discussions, the main activities to be undertaken could include: - the development of policies and agreed procedures in the donor-selection process among blood-collection establishments; - the implementation of efficient, validated and reliable screening tests; - the development and use of quality-assessment criteria and good practices regarding the collection, processing and transfusion of blood and blood products and patient follow-up procedures; - development of a haemovigilance system on the basis of existing networks for the collection of epidemiological data related to the blood- transfusion chain; - encouragement of health professionals to make optimal use of blood and blood products; - the establishment of basi ...

Consequently, this programme includes the provision of equipment, techical assistance, training activities and, when necessary, repairs on buildings, with a view to implementing the following types of action : - an initial assesment of the extent of infection and of the availability of resources in the regions affected in order to determine the ability of these regions to support an AIDS programme ; - a reduction of transmission through contaminated blood : . the improvement of rehabilitation of blood transfusion systems, . the setti ...[+++]ng-up of screening programmes including necessary laboratory capacity, . training to bring about a reduction in the use of blood transfusions to those cases where it is medically indicated, . quality control of screening programmes, . counselling and follow-up as required by screening programmes.

To this end, the main activities to be undertaken could include : - Development of scientifically sound policies and agreed procedures in the donor selection process among blood collection establishments within the Community in order to provide the necessary reassurances of the safety of blood products originating from whatever Community source. - Implementation of efficient validated and reliable screening tests in the Community. - Development of quality assessment criteria and good manufacturing practices regarding collection, testing, processing, and transfusion of blood and blood products and patient follow-up pr ...[+++]ocedures. - Development of a haemovigilance system for the collection of epidemiological data related to the blood transfusion chain. - Development of educational programmes directed towards helath professionals on the optimal use of blood and blood products. - Support for the dissemination of information on blood and blood products and the collection, processing and transfusion procedures through promotional materials, films, campaigns.