Bad Blood
Blood saves lives. But transfusions have risks, and they can transmit infectious disease and cause reactions. And that requires careful screening and monitoring - Matthew Kuehner
image by: Global Times
HWN Suggests
How I broke the infected blood scandal in the Mail...
No story should start at the end. But this one does. On Monday, at Westminster’s Central Hall, it will all be over. The public inquiry into why hospitals were using contaminated blood throughout the 1980s, killing thousands of people and infecting tens of thousands of others, will publish its final report. It is set to put an end to decades of speculation about what compensation victims and their families will receive, after one of the longest, most harrowing medical scandals of all time. Sir Brian Langstaff’s careful four-year stewardship of the Infected Blood Inquiry has examined millions of pieces of evidence, pored over more than 3,500 written statements and listened to 370 witnesses —…
Resources
‘Plasma was called liquid gold’: the true story of the UK infected blood scandal
Documents examined by inquiry show officials knew people were being given infected blood products, but sanctioned their use
The Rising Risk of a Contaminated Blood Supply
Amid new pathogens and cost pressures, efforts are under way to keep patients safe.
Bad blood
The story has been unfolding for decades. In the 1970s and 1980s in the United Kingdom 4670 patients with haemophilia were exposed to hepatitis C through contaminated NHS blood and blood products, and of this group 1243 were also exposed to HIV. So far 1757 of these patients have died, and many more are now terminally ill.
Infected blood scandal – what you need to know
The infected blood scandal has been hailed the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS. Over 3,000 people have died as a result of receiving contaminated blood products in the 1970s, 80s and 90s, and it is estimated that an infected person still dies every four days. As the scandal unfolded, repeated calls for justice and recognition were ignored. An independent public inquiry was finally announced in 2017. The delay is itself a source of harm.
Rare Infection Threatens To Spread in Blood Supply
A parasitic infection common in Latin America is threatening the United States blood supply, public health experts say. They are especially concerned because there will be no test for it in donated blood until next year at the earliest. The infection, Chagas disease, is still rare in this country. Only nine cases are known to have been transmitted by transfusion or transplant in the United States and Canada in the last 20 years.
Scandal Over Tainted Blood Widens in France
In a new twist to the scandal here over the distribution of blood infected with the virus that causes AIDS, a French newspaper has published documents that appear to show that senior Government officials kept an American blood test off the market until a rival French test was ready for approval.
The Biggest Blood Supply Risk: Tainted Platelets
Hospitals and blood banks are adopting new measures to improve the safety of donated platelets—the tiny cells that make blood clot and heal injuries but that also present the No. 1 infection risk in the U.S. blood supply.
The contaminated blood scandal
Many people who did not have a bleeding disorder were infected with hepatitis C as a result of blood transfusions during that period. A large number were unaware of their infection for many years before diagnosis. It is not known how many were infected.
The infected blood scandal should make us think twice about revering the NHS
Blood is central to the myths British people tell themselves. One of the many consequences of the contaminated blood scandal is that it may blow those myths apart. For if this scandal can make us face the reality of how badly we are governed, and indeed how selfishly we govern ourselves, then some good may come from so much needless suffering.
UK infected blood scandal: what happened in other countries?
Victims in Britain have finally gained a measure of justice – elsewhere the fight has had varying outcomes.
What is the infected blood scandal and will victims get compensation?
Announcing its findings, the inquiry said victims had been failed "not once, but repeatedly", and that the risk of viral infections in blood products had been known since 1948. Inquiry chairman Sir Brian Langstaff said there had been a lack of openness from the authorities and elements of "downright deception", including the destruction of documents.
‘SafeBlood’ Hardliners Want to Set Up Unvaccinated Blood Banks
Anti-vaxxers are trying to create a new global infrastructure for the supply of unvaccinated blood, driven by conspiracy theories and pseudoscientific beliefs about the dangers of mRNA COVID vaccines. SafeBlood Donation was founded by a Swiss naturopath, George Della Pietra, who considers global coronavirus vaccination campaigns to be “the crime of the century.”
‘Suffering that is hard to comprehend’: key takeaways from UK infected blood report
Scandal was completely avoidable, with government and NHS colluding to cover up risk to patients.
How I broke the infected blood scandal in the Mail...
For me, the course of events that came to mark this seismic catastrophe is personal. It began 41 years ago when, as a young medical journalist, newly promoted on to The Mail on Sunday, I broke the story of Britain’s contaminated blood catastrophe.
SafeBlood
Health freedom for everybody, everywhere. We decide what goes into our bodies. And we decided: no mRNA injections - not even through blood transfusions.
The Inquiry Report
Patients have received blood or blood products from the NHS since it began in 1948. Many of those treated with them, particularly between 1970 and 1998, died or suffered miserably, and many continue to suffer. This was not as a direct result of the underlying condition or illness that took them to the NHS in the first place, but as a result of the treatment itself. This would be catastrophic enough if they were the only victims. But the treatment has caused others to suffer too – partners, family, children, friends – some by being themselves infected, some by having to watch loved ones die, some by having to give their lives to caring; and alm
Infected Blood Inquiry
The Inquiry will examine why men, women and children in the UK were given infected blood and/or infected blood products; the impact on their families; how the authorities (including government) responded; the nature of any support provided following infection; questions of consent; and whether there was a cover-up.
Introducing Stitches!
Your Path to Meaningful Connections in the World of Health and Medicine
Connect, Collaborate, and Engage!
Coming Soon - Stitches, the innovative chat app from the creators of HWN. Join meaningful conversations on health and medical topics. Share text, images, and videos seamlessly. Connect directly within HWN's topic pages and articles.
