MORE needs to be done to limit the risk of the so-called "economy class syndrome", which could be causing more deaths than new-variant CJD, said a Euro MP this week.

MEP for Warwickshire and Worcestershire, Liz Lynne, was very "disappointed" last week when her colleagues in Strasbourg rejected a call for an investigation into the cause of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) after long-haul flights and stepped up her call for all governments around Europe to study the problem.

She was pleased, however, that the British Government had agreed to hold a summit with airline bosses and safety authorities on the problem, which sees around one passenger a month die after arrival at Heathrow airport because of a blood clot.

The subject is close to the Stratford-based MEP's heart as she suffered a DVT herself last year after a four-hour flight to England from Crete.

"I had no idea how often air travellers become victims, nor how potentially deadly it is," she said.

"But as the recent revelations mounted up it became clear that deep vein thrombosis is a real scandal - especially as it can be prevented by simple precautions."

The condition, dubbed "economy class syndrome" because some sufferers have travelled in the cheaper, more confined seats on long-haul flights, has received growing publicity in recent months after more deaths and the discovery that some members of the British Olympic team suffered clots flying back from Sydney.

It is believed the condition can be avoided if travellers follow instructions, including walking about during the flight instead of remaining seated the whole time, drinking plenty of water and restricting alcohol intake.

However, the MEP believes that the onus on prevention should not just lie with the traveller and that the airlines should be doing something themselves, like offering clear pre-flight advice, offering water, looking into using aspirin to thin passengers' blood and examining seat design and spacing.

"If one traveller a month is dying at Heathrow then it is probable that hundreds are dying every year across Europe," she said.

"We have fought hard against BSE, but these blood clots could well be killing far more people than human variant CJD."