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St Albans infected victim lobbying Parliament

8:50am Monday 15th February 2010


A ST ALBANS woman who fears she has been infected through a transfusion with a fatal brain disease has told the Review of her anger that a law to prevent similar tragedies is stuck in Parliament.

The haemophoiliac woman, who does not want to be named but has told the Review before of her gratitude for MP Anne Main's support, has been told she may have been infected with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

In her late thirties, she is now in fairly good health, but knows she will not live long once symptoms start, usually at about 60.

On Wednesday she was one of 130 people who went to Parliament to lobby MPs to enact a bill providing support, treatment and compensation for victims, and imposing safeguards on blood stocks.

She said: "Anne Main kept her promise and met with me and my family at Westminster.

"Unfortunately, during the second reading on February 5, Kerry McCarthy, the MP for Bristol East, called out 'object', so the bill is now going to be heard on February 26.

"Kerry McCarthy is also meant to back haemophiliacs, so this has caused a lot of upset, as we were all hoping that the bill would become law.

"At present our blood is not safe and therefore everybody that recieves a blood transfusion is at risk.

"Kerry McCarthy said he would like a debate - the people affected by this have wanted a debate for months and we have been ignored."


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Sue Threakall, Barnstaple says...
10:46am Mon 15 Feb 10

As secretary of TaintedBlood, the group that campaigns and advocates on behalf of all those infected and affected by contaminated blood and blood supplies, this is, sadly, the kind of story I hear every day. We have been fighting for truth and justice for nearly thirty years now, while our friends and family continue to die at the rate of at least one per month. Since Kerry McCarthy raised her one word objection to this humanitarian Bill I have heard of one more death; one more family in mourning. Ours is a small, finite community of sick, disabled and bereaved people, many of whom are living on or below the poverty line because of what happened. It is a community that was created, George Orwell fashion by the Government all those years ago and which has been bonded together by successive governments inaction ever since. At the lobby in parliament two weeks ago were many people whose lifespan is severely limited and many whose day to day life is a painful struggle; yet they still travelled to London from as far away as Inverness, to meet with their MP. The whole thing is a national disgrace, and one which many other countries sorted out properly years ago.

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little bear, garston says...
3:51pm Mon 15 Feb 10

Absolute disgrace! the goverment are **** footing around, they need to sort this disaster out, lets face it 30 yrs of loss of life, and still people are dying at a rate of at least 1 a month, still this government choose to ignore this situation, yet lives are being put at risk! yet Kerry McCarthy MP objected to this Bill, the excuse was "someone else would of" Well its good to know we have such a caring government, that still is happy to put people's lives at risk!
Wake up Gordon Brown this needs sorting! these people are suffering through no fault of their own!

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gwilkinson, Hull says...
9:09pm Tue 16 Feb 10

How on earth was this pathetic backstabbing excuse of an MP, Kerry McCarthy, ever elected, particularly as she was on the Haemophilia APPG, a Government body meant to look after the interests of haemophiliacs. I hope her constituents think long and hard whether they want this two faced MP acting in their best interests, come the next election.

I have haemophilia and was infected with this filthy blood through NHS treatment in the 1980's along with almost 5,000 other people, almost 2,000 have since passed away as a result of this infected blood, and the best Kerry McCarthy can do is stand up in Parliament and object to a bill which after over 25 years of fighting would have given us some peace, but no.

She tried to excuse herself by saying she was only doing her job, as far as I am concerned, her position exists because she was elected by the people to act on behalf of the people, not to serve her own self interest by doing the Labour party's dirty work.

Kerry McCarthy, you should hang your head in shame, if you have any.

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steveb2906, norwich says...
11:06pm Tue 16 Feb 10

It disgusts me how yet again the UK Government have pushed us to one side over the contaminated blood issues, I along with many other Haemophiliacs was poisoned with Hepatitis C by the NHS when I was 8 years old, it was only out of luck I escaped the HIV infection. Nearly 2,000 haemophiliacs have died as a result of exposure to the contaminated blood in what leading medical expert Lord Winston called "the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS". If this would have been any other disaster where so many people had died there would have been an inquiry but not in this case because in the words of my MP Charles Clarke, "The Government are worried that if they admit liability there may be legal questions to answer also they are worried about how much money it will cost if they have to compensate", well in my opinion that is tough the doctors and the government knew the blood they were giving small children was contaminated but they didnt know how bad the risk was, they used us as guinea pigs and now they wont face up to there actions. So many haemophiliacs have needlessly died at the hands of the people we put our trust in. Please Gordon Brown and your government do the right thing, WE WILL NOT GO AWAY.

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Dynamodoris, Farnham says...
4:13pm Wed 17 Feb 10

Government after Government have ignored the plight of this minority group. They were infected through no fault of their own. It is time the Government sorted this issue once and for all. The bill would provide care and support for those infected and bereaved. It would also ensure that the blood supply for EVERYBODY is as safe as it can possibly be - it is currently not safe with a significant risk of vCJD. Come on Gordon , do the right thing.

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skatey, says...
8:28pm Tue 2 Mar 10

It is beyond belief that the government has not done the right thing by all of those affected by the contaminated blood disaster. My husband is a haemophiliac who was infected with Hep C aged just 8. Now aged 38, we have recently been told that his liver has been damaged by the Hep C. This has devastated our family. We have two young children and it breaks my heart to think that they might lose their Daddy. This should not have happened. It could have and should have been stopped. It is about time that the government acted on Lord Archer's recommendations and start supporting those who have suffered so much.

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