Children's hospital says sorry over Hepatitis C risk

Ireland’s largest children’s hospital tonight said it deeply regretted distress caused by inadequate blood tests carried out in the 1990s for the Hepatitis C virus.

Up to 100 children were given blood products not properly screened for the disease, which can cause liver damage, at Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin in Dublin.

Health Minister Mary Harney said the respected paediatric teaching hospital was working closely with experts in the health service to tackle the problem.

But the hospital insisted former patients involved are unlikely to be infected.

Dr Finn Breathnach, consultant paediatric oncologist at the hospital, claimed the screening procedure it used between 1991 and 1994 was not the best available because of financial cutbacks.

And in a statement Our Lady’s Hospital said: “We would like to reassure families that the possible risk of infection from our platelet programme in the early 1990s is extremely low.”

It admitted hospital bosses knew about the scare nine months ago.

But they said they wanted to compile an accurate list of patients possibly affected before revealing the extent of the scare.

A freephone helpline number, 1800 250 450, has been set up for worried patients.

Our Lady’s Hospital went on: “The hospital became aware earlier this year that two adults who received life saving treatment in the pre Hepatitis C testing period at OLCHC between 1984 and 1988, were now found to be Hepatitis C positive.

“The source of their Hepatitis C infection has not been established.”

The platelet donation programme in place at the hospital has since been reviewed and found patients treated between October 1991 to April 1994 may be at risk of infection.

But added this risk now appeared to be extremely low.

Our Lady’s added: “(The hospital) in the best interests of the individuals who received platelets at that time has decided to offer precautionary screening.”

Ms Harney said she understands the hospital has been working closely with experts in the Population Health Directorate of the HSE to devise an appropriate response to the problem, which is aimed at minimising the distress of families.

The minister said: “Ideally we would have used the more sophisticated test and as I said earlier, we have not been in a position to establish why that new test was not introduced.

“My own recollection, and it is personal, is that it was due to funding. Funding at that time with the health service was extremely difficult I recall being involved in fundraising for many many years.

“In 1991, I suspect I was paying the salaries of five or six people essential to the service for the treatment of children with cancer out of fundraising money itself.”

Ms Harney said she understood the anxiety experienced by the former patients and their families affected by the platelet donation programme.

Dr Breathnach said there was a 13-month period where a different test was used. The hospital is to contact the families involved to offer them a new test for the virus, which can cause liver damage.

Dr Breathnach said: “I would be astonished if any of these children developed Hepatitis C and I can say that with some degree of confidence because none of the donors, not a single one, in all of these years, has tested positive for Hepatitis C or developed Hepatitis C.

“And from 1991, not a single child from that time has presented with the virus.

“So that’s very reassuring for parents ... in relation to the risk to their children.”

The hospital will be offering a new hi-tech test to all the families and results should be available in two to three days.

“This has been a painful and difficult process for us and we have been painstaking in our efforts to identify the individual children who may have been exposed to the slightest risk of exposure to Hepatitis C,” Dr Breathnach added.

Screening for the Hepatitis C virus was introduced in Ireland in 1991.