20/01/2023 (Agence Europe) – The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) announces in a guidance document published on 17 January that no new cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) resulting from transfusion or associated with dietary exposure have been reported in the European Union, the European Economic Area or the rest of the world since the last risk assessment (August 2021). Therefore, the ECDC indicates that competent authorities could weigh the risk of disease transmission from blood donors against the supply needs in the States, by assessing the expected benefit of lifting the restriction. These restrictions were lifted in 2022 by the competent authorities in the US and Australia. The ECDC indicates its intention to assist countries in their decision making and notes that the SoHO network could also serve as a platform for the exchange of information and best practice between EU/EEA countries. More information at: https://aeur.eu/f/509 (EV)