WRITTEN QUESTION No. 4047/98 by Ian WHITE Misuse in France of Factor VIII blood products
Date: 1999-01-13
Institutions: European Parliament, WHITE
Subjects: AIDS, France, blood disease, blood transfusion, competence of the Member States, disease prevention, epidemiology, indemnification, public health, victim













EUR-Lex - 91998E4047 - EN






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91998E4047

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 4047/98 by Ian WHITE Misuse in France of Factor VIII blood products  


Official Journal C 341 , 29/11/1999 P. 0028 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-4047/98by Ian White (PSE) to the Commission(13 January 1999)Subject: Misuse in France of Factor VIII blood productsFollowing the misuse in France of Factor VIII blood products which have resulted in medical patients developing both AIDS and hepatitis.Is the Commission able to state please:1. The percentage proportion of haemophiliacs who have developed either AIDS or hepatitis in each Member State?2. Which Member States have made provision for haemophiliac screening and mandatory compensation schemes for prospective victims?Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission(1 April 1999)Epidemiological surveillance of AIDS in Europe is carried out with financial support from the Commission under the programme of Community action on the prevention of AIDS and certain other communicable diseases (1996-2000)(1). The European Centre for Epidemiological Monitoring of AIDS (CESES) publishes a detailed quarterly report on the most recent data transmitted by the national monitoring centres. The number of AIDS cases declared is available by Member State, year, sex, age and transmission group. Between the start of the epidemic and June 1998, 195 785 cases of AIDS were declared in the Community, 3 266 (1,67 %) of them involving haemophiliacs. In 1996 and 1997 this percentage was 0,71 %. The Commission will send the most recent CESES report to the Honourable Member and the Parliament's Secretariat.At the moment, the Commission does not have any data on the percentage of haemophiliacs who have developed hepatitis in each Member State. On 24 September 1998 the Council and Parliament adopted a Decision(2) setting up a network for the epidemiological surveillance and control of communicable diseases in the Community. This network will permit epidemiological surveillance of a number of priority diseases in Europe. It will include an early warning system allowing a rapid and appropriate response at European level in the event of a recognised threat to public health. Epidemiological surveillance of hepatitis in Europe will be one of the network's priorities.The organisation of screening for these diseases is the responsibility of the Member States. At the Commission's initiative, a study of the different aspects of screening for the human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) is being undertaken and will be available during the second quarter of 1999.As regards compensation, several Member States have specific schemes to help persons who have become infected through transfusion of a defective blood product, responsibility for which lies with the Member States.(1) Decision 647/96/EC of 29 March 1996, OJ C 95, 16.4.1996.(2) Decision 2119/98/EC of 24 September 1998, OJ L 268, 3.10.1998.