Perceived risk and loss of trust in the Irish Blood Transfusion Service continue to be a problem and have led to a steady decrease in the number of blood donors, the annual Merriman Summer School has heard.
The theme of the week-long school, in honour of poet Brian Merriman, is "Research and Discovery: Of Knowledge and the People in the New Century".
Addressing the school in Lisdoonvarna, Co Clare, Prof Shaun McCann, consultant haematologist/oncologist at St James's Hospital, Dublin, and former medical director of the Blood Transfusion Service Board, said although no recorded cases of transmission by blood had occurred since the introduction of testing for hepatitis B and C, and HIV in Ireland, the public continued to believe otherwise.
Tracing the history of problems with the blood service in the State, Prof McCann said the anti-D vaccine used to immunise pregnant women for rhesus babies was seen as very successful, resulting in the birth of many healthy babies who would otherwise have died or been severely handicapped.
However, in 1991 samples of the vaccine were found to contain hepatitis C. No action was taken and a subsequent study of healthy blood donors in Cork revealed a high level of the virus in otherwise healthy women. The two events were linked and a "lookback" programme commenced. A public inquiry was held and compensation was paid by the Government.
Prof McCann also said the treatment of childhood leukaemia had been a very successful story. In adults, the situation was less satisfactory, although a bone-marrow transplant pioneered in the US was available at St James's Hospital.
In the opening lecture on Saturday evening, Dr William Reville of UCC said that in a world dependent on science-based technology it was essential that everyone had some understanding and appreciation of science. Although science did not produce the truth "pure and simple", it did produce reliable maps of the physical world, and science was advanced by drawing these maps on increasingly larger scales.
Throughout the week the school will deal with issues such as God and science, conventional and alternative approaches in medicine to pain, how the weather has influenced culture and civilisation, and the science of mind and soul.