Blood board role criticised

THE Blood Transfusion Service Board has been strongly criticised by the Lindsay Tribunal report for its role in infecting seven haemophiliacs with HIV and a larger number of people with Hepatitis C.

Tribunal chairperson Ms Justice Alison Lindsay said she was satisfied the BTSB was the source of the infection for HIV in seven haemophiliacs through the issuing of two non-heat treated batches of a blood-clotting agent known as Factor IX in 1985.

Five of those have since died, while one man also infected his partner with the virus.