People who unknowingly received blood donations that may have been contaminated with the deadly brain disease vCJD are to be told that they may have been infected.

The decision, by the UK Government's vCJD Incident Panel, represents a u-turn in policy.

It is thought that 22 people have received potentially contaminated blood.

However, it had previously been decided not to inform them unless they tried to donate blood themselves.

Officials decided there was no point in telling them because there is no test, no cure and no treatment for vCJD.

It has now been decided that these people should be told because they do represent a potential public health risk if they need to have surgery, donate organs or need serious dental treatment.

It is thought that eight people who were subsequently diagnosed with vCJD gave blood that has been passed on to others.

Victims

The condition, the human form of BSE or mad cow disease, destroys the tissues of the brain. So far, it has claimed 113 victims in the UK, although the final death toll could be many times that figure.

Nobody knows whether contaminated blood poses a risk of infection.

The people who have received contaminated blood supplies will probably be told by their GPs.

They will be asked to collaborate with medical authorities and advised not to try to donate blood or organs and to tell doctors if they are to undergo invasive medical care.

A Department of Health spokesperson said: "Twenty-two people are known to have received blood donated by people who went on to develop variant CJD.

"As a precaution to protect public health, the CJD Incident Panel has proposed changing existing policy so that such people are told that they might have been exposed to this unknown risk.

"Further safeguards could then be taken to ensure that these people do not expose others to any further risk."

"Scale of the risks of transmission of vCJD via blood is not known, but there is no evidence so far that it has been transmitted this way."