Blood bank to contact infected donors

TWENTY eight donors who tested positive for hepatitis C antibodies in the early 1990s, but were not immediately informed of the result are due to begin receiving letters from the Blood Bank today.

The hepatitis C support group said yesterday councillors were being lined up and would be made available. A mobile number for a blood bank member will be provided and any calls will be referred to suitable help.

So far a total of 13 letters have been sent. A spokesperson for the Blood Board said the remainder of the group concerned would be receiving a letter in the next week or so.

The delays range from one month to 26 months. Fourteen of the donors are known to be women while 14 are men.

According to the blood bank 11 of those infected contracted the virus from the anti-D blood product, three from blood transfusions and 14 from other sources, although these figures have been disputed.

A spokesperson for the Blood Transfusion Service said that the donors were being contacted on a phased basis and all should be contacted within “a week or so”.

The Minister for Health, Micheál Martin, is still to decide how to investigate this issue but a spokesperson for The Department of Health said a decision would be taken by Mr Martin within the coming weeks.

Mr Martin suggested barristers nominated by interested parties examine all the documentation.

However, the blood bank wants a judge to oversee an inquiry while the hepatitis C support groups are now demanding a tribunal.

The delay in telling blood donors about hepatitis C antibodies first came into the public domain through newspaper reports in 1996.

The issue was investigated by the Finlay Tribunal as part of its inquiry into how mothers contracted the virus through the anti-D blood product.

A spokesperson for Transfusion Positive said: “We will now be looking for a meeting with the minister as soon as possible for his decision to find out if we are going for a statutory tribunal.”

One man, known only as Donor L, told the Finlay Tribunal that he tested for hepatitis C antibodies in July, 1992 but was not informed until November 1993.

Twenty seven other donors were also not informed immediately.

A Transfusion Positive spokesperson said the issue could not be drawn to a close until it was examined by a tribunal.

“Hopefully that will be the end of the tribunals. Hopefully we will receive all the information and documentation at that,” she said.