Thousands ‘unaware of anti-D risk’

CLOSE to 70,000 women have been tested for exposure to contaminated anti-D but many more remain unaware they may have received infected blood product during high risk periods.

In its annual report, published yesterday, the Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) said the race to trace and test all those exposed was ongoing.

“The Recipient Tracing Unit is continuing to trace, in co-operation with the hospitals, the individuals who may not realise they have received anti-D during the risk periods,” the report said.

The Recipient Tracing Unit traces and offers testing to recipients of Anti D between the risk years of 1977-1979 and 1991-1994 as part of the follow up to the anti-D Hepatitis C Virus Screening Programme established in 1994.

To date 994 recipients who received potentially infectious batches of anti-D within the risk years have screened positive for hepatitis C.

The screening programme was set up on foot of the discovery that hundreds of women given Anti D at childbirth went on to develop hepatitis C.

The report also noted that 7,526 recipients had been re-tested under the anti-D Reassurance programme which offers retesting to all recipients who have tested negative.

New chair of the IBTS board, Maura McGrath, apologised in the annual report to those who had suffered as a result of IBTS errors.

“I offer a sincere apology for the distress and sadness caused by these mistakes. My commitment to ensuring that everything possible is done to avoid such occurrences again is absolute,” she said.

At yesterday’s launch of the report, the IBTS warned hospitals faced a crisis unless more people gave blood.

Last year donations fell by 5.8%.

Restrictions caused by the vCJD risk and the West Nile Virus were a factor.

IBTS chief executive Andrew Kelly said there had been a 6% rise in hospital demand for blood in the first six months of the year. Hospitals need 3,000 blood donations a week to carry out operations.