The Hindu : National : Probe ordered into import of blood samples

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 29, 2004

National

National

Probe ordered into import of blood samples

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 28. The Union Health Minister, Anbumani Ramadoss, today ordered the Drug Controller of India (DCI) to investigate news reports from London that blood product samples contaminated with the human form of the mad cow disease had been imported into India from Britain.

The order followed a high-level meeting convened by the Minister with DCI and other senior officials of the Ministry, a Ministry press release said.

The DCI has been directed to ask the two British companies registered in India for import of blood products to find out whether any British donor's blood was sourced for preparing blood products. Since 1996, sourcing of plasma from the British citizens for preparing blood products has been stopped as a precautionary measure following the surfacing of mad cow disease there.

The Ministry, the release said, has also taken up the issue with the External Affairs Ministry. The DCI written to the World Health Organisation too. The Ministry said that contrary to reports, India was not among the 11 countries that had been notified by the British officials on export of contaminated blood products. As per information available with the WHO and the European Medicines Agency, no credible instance of transmission of the mad cow disease by human blood, blood components and plasma derivatives have been reported.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National

News Update

Stories in this Section