New inquiry into hepatitis C infections

A new investigation is planned by the Department of Health into the infection of some 149 women in the State with hepatitis C…

A new investigation is planned by the Department of Health into the infection of some 149 women in the State with hepatitis C.

It follows a blood bank inquiry which found that its anti-D blood product, believed by the women to have caused their infections, was not responsible.

Anti-D manufactured by the blood bank was, however, responsible for more than 1,000 infections between 1977-1979 and 1991-1994.

These infections were investigated by the Finlay tribunal which found the product causing them had been made from the plasma of two infected donors, X and Y.

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Groups representing some 149 women infected at other periods have long claimed other donors must also have been responsible for infections.

The claims have been investigated by the deputy medical director of the Irish Blood Transfusion Service, Dr Emer Lawlor, and a copy of her report was sent to the groups representing infected women, Positive Action and Transfusion Positive, on Friday.

Dr Lawlor concluded there was no reason to believe that any donors other than X or Y had contaminated the anti-D pool.

Ms Detta Warnock, chairwoman of Positive Action, said this was "extraordinary" because other causative factors for the women's infections such as drug abuse, blood transfusions, body piercing, tattoos and multiple sexual partners had been ruled out.

She said if there were just one or two people infected outside the years when X's and Y's plasma caused infections, one might expect some factor other than anti-D to be to blame but, she claimed, "149 people are not telling lies".

Ms Maura Long of Transfusion Positive said there were a lot of questions to be answered in relation to the findings of Dr Lawlor's report.

"There must be an end to the blood bank investigating itself," she said.

"We feel the only way this can be dealt with is by an independent inquiry."

A spokeswoman for the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, said last night the Minister was committed to investigating the matter further.