Morocco denies import of bad blood from Britain

The Moroccan Health Ministry has denied the import from Britain of blood products that could be contaminated with the human form of mad cow disease, as it was reported by the British daily "The Times."

The British paper said Britain has exported blood products that could be contaminated with the prion responsible for the Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) variant, the human form of mad cow disease, to eleven countries, including Morocco.

Following the publication of the article, the Moroccan Health Ministry said in a release investigations conducted by National Center of Blood transfusion (CNTS) and other health services showed that no blood products have been imported from Britain.

The release underlined that the legislation in force bans import of blood and its by-products without authorisation and control of the National Center of Blood Transfusion. So far, no request for the import of these products was made, said the release.

The release went on that blood transfusion safety is among health authorities' top priorities, and that the health department works to reinforce blood transfusion safety through permanent monitoring and control.