Did anyone watch Newsnight?

I spoke to my friend Jason yesterday and he told me that there would be a feature on contaminated blood products on last night's Newsnight. The Independent Public Inquiry into Contaminated Blood and Blood Products was due to kick off today, so I assumed that was why Newsnight were running the story.

You'll normally find me in bed at 9pm so to stay up later was a challenge but with the help of a C.S.I. double header I just about made it to 10.30pm. Ade had gone to bed because he's been up at 5.30am that morning in was going to be doing that the following morning too.

I thought that having my own experience of infection with Hepatitis C, having been to many Haemophilia Society events and being involved in the campaign for compensation at one stage, the content of the report would be familiar to me.

I watched with growing sadness and disbelief as I realised how little I really knew. Both about how unsafe clotting factor products had been used even after safer treatments were available, about the possibility that bleeders were used in studies to understand the risks of HIV on human beings, how a child had been infected in the in 1983 at the age of 2 and had died at the age of 7.

I heard how a number of haemophiliacs had been infected and diagnosed with HIV and HCV and had not been told - some for even a number of years. What kind of medical care was that?? A kind that had a horrible sense of familiarity to me.

I was shocked and angered by the continued lack of responsibility that was being shown by the Department of Health. What was their sympathy worth...?

I really admire the people who appeared on the programme last night, they have been fighting for justice for many years at the same time that they are desperately fighting destructive viruses. I hope that the Inquiry will in some way take the fight forwards and finally get some acknowledgement, answers and some admission of wrongdoing. I hope that those still living with HIV, HCV, vCJD and who knows what other viruses will get some justice. I hope.

I am terribly sad about Colin, Pete and over 2000 other people with bleeding disorders who have lost their lives to these viruses. I am dedicating this post to all their memories.

xx

Link to the Newsnight feature - Blood Trials (thanks Ian):
http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_6560000/newsid_6566300/6566349.stm?bw=bb&mp=rm
You'll need a media player to view it.

Link to the Indepent Public Inquiry website:
http://www.archercbbp.com/