Contaminated blood inquiry to be held
 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-40566761

This is totally appalling and we can only hope that the truth will come to light. Whether or not those responsible can be punished is another matter altogether though and some may ask if that's why it's taken so long. :shrug:

I hope the victims get what little comfort they can from the outcome.

Re: Contaminated blood inquiry to be held
 

This was a terrible thing to be allowed to happen. The poor Haemophiliacs who received clotting factor products in the 70/80's thought that they were being given a lifeline and although it was known that this blood product was contaminated the NHS continued to condone its use for several years before they took steps to only buy in safe versions of the clotting factor. I can remember cases of young children having been diagnosed with HIV and at that time it was a death sentence.

As someone who relies on frequent blood transfusions it scares me to think that the very thing that is keeping me alive may kill me. So to find out that you were infected by tainted blood must have been a terrible thing to face.

I worry every time I receive a transfusion even though I know there are now better safeguards in place and that the blood I receive is donated by very generous and caring British donors and not brought in from abroad.

Re: Contaminated blood inquiry to be held
 

We hope so but it has been privatised.

Re: Contaminated blood inquiry to be held
 

The problem at the time was that there weren't enough caring British donors giving enough. Had there been then no imports would have been necessary.

The alternative would have been people dying due to the shortage. Not a decision I would like to make.

Re: Contaminated blood inquiry to be held
 

The real problem was the people spreading around HIV/AIDS and Hep C. But we're not allowed to talk about that.

Re: Contaminated blood inquiry to be held
 

Drug users, bisexuals and homosexuals?

Re: Contaminated blood inquiry to be held
 

Strange - you appear to have just talked about it...

Re: Contaminated blood inquiry to be held
 

So why has nobody else really mentioned these real and ONGOING underlying issues?

Re: Contaminated blood inquiry to be held
 

Because it is not politically correct?

Re: Contaminated blood inquiry to be held
 

and cyclists

Re: Contaminated blood inquiry to be held
 

The problem was that the USA did not screen the donors of the blood they obtained. Giving blood was one of the ways the poor, unemployed and homeless managed to obtain money in the States and the Pharmaceutical Companies were more interested in making a profit rather than actually checking that the blood they paid for came from healthy donors. It was great that they had found a way to treat Haemophilia but they showed themselves to be less than prudent when it came to sourcing the basic ingredient.

Prior to refined Clotting factors being made available Haemophiliacs were only expected, at the most, to live into their 20/30s and relied upon receiving plasma alone to treat bleeds. To get enough to help them meant that a lot of plasma had to be obtained. So although bleeding was life threatening it was not always an immediate death sentence.

Re: Contaminated blood inquiry to be held
 

:rofl:made:rofl:me:rofl:larf:rofl:

Re: Contaminated blood inquiry to be held
 

Well everything else gets talked about on this forum;).

---------- Post added at 05:41 ---------- Previous post was at 05:39 ----------

l ain't worried that it ain't politically correct but as with most things in life there are usually two sides to every story.

---------- Post added at 05:45 ---------- Previous post was at 05:41 ----------

Well my brother is gay and he is very safe in the precautions that he takes in his own life but alas not everybody is the same as with most things in life..