Australian Red Cross Blood Service

Australia has one of the safest blood supplies in the world in terms of viral safety. We publish estimates of the residual risks of transfusion-transmitted infection as a guide for clinicians in transfusion decision-making and informed consent processes.

Our Blood Service estimates of residual risk of transfusion-transmitted viral infection are based on published models, and represent the median risk estimate derived using three models. 

These estimates are updated annually. Estimates are conservative since they are based on the ‘worst case’ assumption that an infectious donation is always issued for transfusion, and that if transfused, will always lead to infection in the recipient (ie, infectivity is 100%).

There have been no reported cases of transmission by transfusion of classical Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (cCJD), and retrospective studies suggest that the possibility of such transmission of cCJD is remote.(3)

No Australian has been infected with vCJD to date. In the UK, there have been a small number of reported cases of putative transfusion transmission since 2004.

In Australia, as a precaution, people who have spent a cumulative period of 6 months in the UK between 1 January 1980 and 31 December 1996 and/or had a transfusion in the UK between 1 January 1980 and the present time are not accepted as blood donors.

► How do these residual risk estimates compare to the risks associated with everyday living?

References

1. Seed CR, Kiely P, Keller AJ. Residual Risk of Transfusion Transmitted Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Hepatitis B Virus, Hepatitis C Virus and Human T Lymphotrophic Virus. Internal Medicine Journal 2005;35(10):592–598.
2. Seed CR, Kee G, Wong T, Law M, Ismay S. Assessing the safety and efficacy of a test based, targeted screening strategy to minimise transfusion transmitted malaria. Vox Sang 2010;98:e182–192.
3. Dorsey et al. Lack of evidence of transfusion transmission of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in a US surveillance study. Transfusion 2009;49:977–984.