THOUSANDS of Britons may have an undiagnosed hepatitis C “ticking time bomb” and are being urged to get tested to ensure they have not been infected in the tainted blood scandal.
Activists say that every four days someone affected by the scandal dies.
6
Experts estimate that as many as 2,000 people who received untraced transfusions between 1970 and 1991 may have been infected and still have no idea they have the virus, which can affect the liver, causing cirrhosis and cancer.
In total, it is estimated that around 30,000 patients could have received contaminated blood infected with HIV or hepatitis – numbers much higher than previously reported.
Rachel Halford, CEO of the Hepatitis C Trust, called the news “gravely worrying”.
The charity added: “Of those who received blood transfusions before September 1991, a very small percentage of them will walk around with hepatitis C and not know it. If left untreated, hepatitis C is a ticking time bomb.
“We urge people who have received a transfusion before this date to get tested for hepatitis C if they have not already done so.”
The Russell Group of leading British universities says that every year more than half a million people in the UK receive a blood transfusion.
Tomorrow, victims and families will gather in Westminster to hear the findings of the important Infected Blood Inquiry.
Investigated how thousands of NHS patients between 1970 and the early 1990s became infected with HIV or hepatitis C because the transfused blood was not tested first.
The UK was struggling to meet demand for blood clotting treatments, so it imported supplies from the US, including donations from high-risk donors such as inmates and drug users.
Blood donations in the UK were not routinely tested until 1991, 18 months after the first virus was identified in a laboratory.
Ministers at the time were accused of a cover-up and it is estimated that almost 3,000 people died.
The inquest heard one person loses their life as a result of contaminated blood every four days.
The Hepatitis C Trust already receives two calls a month from people who have just discovered they have the virus following historic transfusions.
Charity boss Rachel Halford added: “It is seriously worrying that there are people out there who don’t know they have hepatitis C.
“If left untreated, it can cause cirrhosis and liver cancer.
“There is no way of knowing how many people have been infected, so we are asking anyone who received a transfusion before the mid-1990s and who has not yet been tested, to come forward for screening.”
Sir Robert Buckland, Conservative MP for South Swindon, campaigned for the victims and will be in Parliament tomorrow.
He said: “These new figures are a shocking reminder that the extent of this scandal has reached wide and deep across our country.
“The nature of diseases like hepatitis is that they can be latent or hidden and emerge later in life. Therefore, it is even more important that people are screened so they can rest or deal with the consequences of any positive findings.”
Families and victims will also hold a vigil today wearing red clothes in Parliament Square.
Among them will be Ivan Mackay, 68, a father of six, from Holsworthy, Devon, who was infected with hepatitis C at the age of ten when he received transfusions after being diagnosed with rheumatic fever.
He had no idea until four decades later, when in 2011, aged around 50, he began feeling continually ill and was diagnosed with hepatitis C.
‘Shocking reminder’
His health deteriorated so quickly that he lost his construction business and ended up homeless.
Ivan said: “Before my diagnosis I had no idea and I became a blood donor, because of what happened to me as a child.
“I probably unintentionally infected people, which is devastating.
“My health started to deteriorate, with mental confusion and fatigue.
“This caused my business to fail.
“I ended up sleeping in the car, left destitute and lost my dignity – all because I was infected with contaminated blood.”
Ivan, who has now turned his life around with the help of his wife Christine, had a liver transplant in 2013 after developing liver cancer.
He received an initial partial compensation payment from the Government.
Now Ivan, who gave written evidence to the inquiry, is calling for a compensation scheme for all victims, because many have so far received nothing.
Liver transplant
He said: “I want us to receive a proper apology, compensation and a memorial for those who died.
“The Government has let us down. It’s absolutely criminal.”
Sir Robert says it is “vital” that victims and survivors receive compensation as quickly as possible.
He said: “Let’s face it – they can’t wait.
“No one is saying that people went there deliberately to try to infect other people, but it was indifference, ignorance or ignorance of the risks that led to this type of tragedy.
“That’s why ignorance and indifference are things we must continue to fight against if we want to prevent scandals like this from happening in the future.”
‘Every day I think about my brother’
SARAH MARTIN, 66, lost her brother Peter, 55, to liver cancer in 2008.
It was a complication of undiagnosed hepatitis C following a blood transfusion he received following a serious car accident in 1985.
6
6
Tomorrow Sarah and her four sisters will go to Parliament carrying a photo of their once-loving father and grandfather.
She said: “From the age of 33 he became very ill. He loved his family, but he changed. He suffered from mental confusion. He wasn’t the Peter we all knew.”
The family, from Hornchurch, Essex, hope to finally see some justice when the inquest’s findings are released.
Sarah said: “I can’t get over the pain because I know he shouldn’t have had that blood.
“But justice will contribute in some way to feeling peace for me and my family.
“There are still people dying – people who don’t even know they have hepatitis C.”
‘I’m still 7 years old. . . if I’m lucky
Former royal mechanical engineer Brendan West has been told he has seven years to live after receiving transfusions of hepatitis C-infected blood following a 1979 hit-and-run.
Brendan, 63, from Farnborough, Hants, was only diagnosed 44 years later when he tried to donate blood during the pandemic.
6
6
Brendan, who will also be in Parliament tomorrow, said: “I have stage three liver disease, with stage four being death.
“I have constant exhaustion, mental confusion, nausea due to forgetfulness and bleeding.
“My consultant said I have about seven years left, unless I’m unlucky and get liver cancer.
“I have a death sentence. I’m encouraging people to get tested now. This scandal makes me ashamed to be British.”
WHAT TO DO
By The Sun GP, Dr Zoe Williams
ANYONE who received a transfusion of blood, or other blood products, between 1970 and 1991 in the UK may be at risk and should be tested.
Especially at risk are haemophiliacs and those with similar conditions who have a rare genetic disorder that means their blood does not clot properly – and means they often need treatment with blood products from childhood.
Hepatitis C is curable and 97 percent of people who receive treatment can expect a full recovery.
A simple course of tablets takes between eight and 12 weeks.
Symptoms may include fatigue, digestive problems, itchy skin, mental confusion or depression.
If you think you may have been exposed to hepatitis C, it’s important to get tested even if you don’t have symptoms, as this infection can cause silent damage to your liver.
With modern medicine, most people can be cured of hepatitis C infection and live a healthy life.
You can ask for a hepatitis C test from your GP, sexual health clinic, antenatal clinic if you are pregnant and some pharmacies.
If you live in England, you can now order a free finger prick test online from the NHS.
After submitting your blood sample, you will be contacted with your test results within two weeks.
If your test is positive, an NHS healthcare professional will call you to discuss the result.
The Hepatitis C Trust helpline is available to call on 020 7089 6221.
Or email helpline@hepctrust.org.uk.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
