§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people suffering from haemophilia have(a) died and (b) suffered illness as a result of contaminated blood products from the NHS in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.[138790]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThe number of haemophilia patients registered with the Macfarlane Trust who have died in the last five years, after infection with HIV from infected national health service blood products, is shown in the table.
Number of deaths 1998 22 1999 19 2000 24 2001 13 2002 12 Information on the number of haemophilia patients with HIV who have suffered illness is not available.
The latest information from the United Kingdom Haemophilia Centre Doctors Organisation show 212 patients with haemophilia have died from liver disease. The number of haemophilia patients with hepatitis C who are demonstrating signs of serious liver disease is 2,645, from a total 2,829 patients who are living with hepatitis C, as at January 2000.
1106W
§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to compensate(a) the dependants of those who have died from hepatitis due to infected blood products and (b) those who contracted hepatitis by such means, but recovered after treatment. [138791]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThe details of the hepatitis C ex gratia payment scheme are still being worked out. We expect to announce the scheme's eligibility criteria and payment structure shortly.
§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department(a) has commissioned and (b) is evaluating in order to determine the level of compensation for people infected with hepatitis C due to infected blood products; and if he will make a statement. [138792]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThe following independent resources are being considered as part of the on-going deliberations to determine the level of payments made under the proposed hepatitis C ex gratia payment scheme
the scheme of payments implemented by the Macfarlane Trust;the scheme of payments implemented by the Eileen Trust;the report of the Hepatitis C Working Party to the Haemophilia Society; andthe report of the Scottish Executive's Expert Group on Financial and Other Support chaired by Lord Ross.
§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the steps that he is taking to ensure that contaminants are not present in NHS blood products. [138793]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThe safety of blood and blood products used in the national health service is of paramount importance. Every reasonable step has been taken to minimise any risks during blood transfusion. The current high levels of safety are achieved by screening out potential high risk donors and then further testing of every unit of donated blood for HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and syphilis before it is released to hospitals.
As a precautionary measure against the theoritical risk that vCJD can be transmitted through blood, since 31 October 1999 all blood used for transfusion has had the white cells removed (a process called leucodepletion), and in 1998, we stopped using United Kingdom plasma in the manufacture of blood products.
New blood safety initiatives, including technologies to remove pathogens in blood, are kept under review by the National Blood Service's Blood and Tissue Safety Assurance Group and the Department's Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Blood and Tissues for Transplantation.