Infected Blood Scandal
Discussion
A bit surprised there isnt a thread on this already.
I think the fact that patients were knowingly given infected blood is the most horrendous part about all this, and even patients where there was no clinical need for a transfusion.
Surely the US has some responsibility somewhere along the line?
https://news.sky.com/story/infected-blood-scandal-...
I think the fact that patients were knowingly given infected blood is the most horrendous part about all this, and even patients where there was no clinical need for a transfusion.
Surely the US has some responsibility somewhere along the line?
https://news.sky.com/story/infected-blood-scandal-...
Can't say I knew too much about this until the recent news about the inquiry and its conclusions and report.
I don't even know the word I'm looking for but what an absolute and utter web of lies and deceit over such a massively long timescale across governments of all colours.
I just don't get how that can happen.
I don't even know the word I'm looking for but what an absolute and utter web of lies and deceit over such a massively long timescale across governments of all colours.
I just don't get how that can happen.
Fatboy said:
I've been following this the last few weeks, it's absolutely baffling that this happened - it's more than just incompetence here, criminal covering up of evidence and needs proper criminal investigation and prosecution to start...
Absolutely agree and it was asked what the ramifications should be but missies the response.Like the post office scandal, it’s all just been ignored and delayed for years and heads must roll, especially those who were in charge at the time.
I have been following this...for 30 years. I worked for the company that brought in the first generation of blood products that had viral inactivation in them. Whilst it no doubt saved lives, a lot of damage was already done.
The scale of this is genuinely massive and I will read the report with interest and sadness no doubt.
One of the key problems with blood products was that the process that concentrates proteins such as FVIII and FIX also concentrated viruses when they were present. Ways around that were better screening of blood (plasma) donors, but that came too late...after the viruses were discovered. And inactivation. HIV and HCV are lipid enveloped and susceptible to being destroyed by solvents, so once this brought on, safety improved massively. Some such blood products are still in use today. They are life saving. In other cases, patients receive recombinant products...so not made from blood per se.
Some of these patients became friends and some still survive, but not in the best if health.
It was heartening to see Sunak and Starmer sharing the platform in the Commons today and relaying the same sentiment.
Lessons will be learned from this. At last.
The scale of this is genuinely massive and I will read the report with interest and sadness no doubt.
One of the key problems with blood products was that the process that concentrates proteins such as FVIII and FIX also concentrated viruses when they were present. Ways around that were better screening of blood (plasma) donors, but that came too late...after the viruses were discovered. And inactivation. HIV and HCV are lipid enveloped and susceptible to being destroyed by solvents, so once this brought on, safety improved massively. Some such blood products are still in use today. They are life saving. In other cases, patients receive recombinant products...so not made from blood per se.
Some of these patients became friends and some still survive, but not in the best if health.
It was heartening to see Sunak and Starmer sharing the platform in the Commons today and relaying the same sentiment.
Lessons will be learned from this. At last.
What staggers me iis that the government have managed to avoid doing anything about this / acknowledging responsibility in 40 years. I remember seeing reports on panorama or world in action in the early 80’s about infected blood products from America.
The french dealt with this in the ‘90’s
The french dealt with this in the ‘90’s
Indeed. I recall Lord Morris championing the cause in the mid 1990s. Here we are, 30 years later. It has been an extraordinarily complex case given the number of people affected. I expect the matter of 'patients were given the best treatment at the time' would have been complex to unpick. True or not true? Could be debated for ever.
The evidence of cover ups and systemic failings is the big worry. Sweep something under the carpet and it does not go away. If the evidence (patient records for example) have gone, then how can that be explained away?
The evidence of cover ups and systemic failings is the big worry. Sweep something under the carpet and it does not go away. If the evidence (patient records for example) have gone, then how can that be explained away?
I will add. USA blood products did get a bad press, and sometimes with very good reason. However, UK blood products were no better. In the late 1990s, and in a move towards self sufficiency, the UK purchased plasmaphoresis centres in the UK. Why would they do that? Because there were new concerns over the safety of UK blood, this time from BSE. Bit of a rock and hard place....but there have been no ongoing problems with blood and blood products in the UK since. It suggests that the approach taken was justified.
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