WIGAN and Leigh health chiefs are investing in new surgical instruments to prevent transmission of variant CJD -- known as 'mad cow' disease.

Two hundred million pounds is to be pumped into hospitals across the country to modernise contamination and sterilisation facilities to protect patients from a theoretical risk of variant CJD.

Sterile service departments will be modernised and equipped with fully-automated sterilisers and washer disinfectors.

In a further step, the Department of Health will introduce single use instruments for tonsil surgery.

A spokesman for Wigan and Leigh Health Service NHS Trust said: "We are currently implementing the Government's guidance which requires the introduction of disposable instruments for tonsilectomys during 2001. This will serve and minimise the theoretical risk of transmission of variant CJD."

Although Dr Peter Elton, director of public health said from examining national figures of the number of people who develop variant CJD, in Wigan and Leigh they expect to deal with less than one case of variant CJD a year.

And health minister John Denham added there was no evidence of any patient being infected with variant CJD in hospital.

"While we are still learning about the progress of variant CJD, we should take precautions to reduce the theoretical risk of transmission to patients.

"This money will fund a major advance in the modernisation of decontamination services in the NHS. Following expert advice, we will also introduce single-use instruments for tonsil surgery."

Deputy chief medical officer Dr Pat Troop said they still did not know how many people might be incubating variant CJD and there was a theoretical risk it could be passed on through surgical operations from those who have yet to show symptoms of the disease.

Dr Troop said: "The highest standards of decontamination are the cornerstone of our strategy to reduce the risks."