SELF-SUFFICIENCY AND BLOOD TRANSMITTED DISEASES

The Council of Europe and the EEC Council of Ministers have strongly p romoted self-sufficiency for plasma products on the basis of voluntary non-remunerated donors. Several European countries have a programme o f self-sufficiency with plasma products, either with national fraction ation plants (e.g. Belgium, Finland) or based on contract fractionatio n (e.g. Norway, Slovenia). Advantages of national self-sufficiency inc ludes epidemiological factors, economical factors and also ethical and moral issues. Self-sufficiency is one of the basic conditions for red ucing the hazard of transmission of infectious diseases. Norway has be en self-sufficient with coagulation factors since 1981. Price mechanis ms and market forces have been important factors in ensuring the neces sary plasma volume, and fractionation methods rendering high yields of factor VIII are initially preferred. This policy has resulted in a lo w prevalence of antibodies against human immunodeficiency virus (6%), hepatitis B virus (28%) and hepatitis C virus (41%). No Norwegian haem ophiliacs have been infected with hepatitis A through FVIII concentrat es.