Rise in Hepatitis C Tests Following Infected Blood Scandal Revelation

Following a BBC revelation about many unknowingly infected with hepatitis C from contaminated blood transfusions between the 1970s and 1991, there has been a surge in demand for tests. Twelve thousand eight hundred people in England requested NHS home-testing kits within a week, compared with two thousand three hundred the entire month of April. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is expected to announce a compensation package worth at least ten billion pounds.

Following a BBC revelation that many individuals in the UK were unknowingly infected with hepatitis C from contaminated blood transfusions between the 1970s and 1991, there has been a significant surge in demand for hepatitis C tests.

According to the Hepatitis C Trust, 12,800 people in England have requested NHS home-testing kits within a week, compared to just 2,300 for the whole month of April.

The BBC estimated that 1,700 people who contracted the virus this way have yet to be diagnosed.

If left untreated, hepatitis C can lead to chronic liver disease and be fatal.

In response to these revelations, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is expected to announce a compensation package worth at least ten billion pounds for those affected.

The true extent of the undiagnosed cases was unveiled by BBC through an exclusive investigation supported by statistics from a public inquiry into the infected blood scandal and Freedom of Information requests.

Figures showed how the UK government and NHS failed to trace those most at risk and limited public awareness to avoid burdening hospital liver units.

Charlotte Dickens, 70, from Surrey, ordered a test kit after learning about the scandal.

Dickens had a transfusion in 1980 but was never tested despite obvious risks.

She expressed her astonishment and frustration at not being informed earlier.

Similarly, Victoria Arkley voiced anger over her mother Maureen's untimely death from liver cancer following an undiagnosed hepatitis C infection likely contracted during transfusions 47 years earlier.

The scandal, regarded as the NHS's greatest treatment disaster, affected mainly people with blood disorders or those needing transfusions and involved high-risk blood products from the US.

Official steps to address this, including new public health campaigns and testing initiatives, are now essential.

For those concerned about potential exposure during the identified periods, free NHS hepatitis C tests are available.