Written Answers. - Hepatitis C Victims.
Máire Geoghegan-Quinn
Question:
53
Mrs. Geoghegan-Quinn
asked the
Minister for Health
the reason the reported number of victims of hepatitis C from blood transfusions is so low; if he will publish statistical work done by his Department on the likely incidence of hepatitis C from transfusions; the number of transfusions per year that take place in Irish hospitals; if he will consider placing further specific advertisements in newspapers to highlight the fact that persons who have undergone transfusions during operations could be at risk from hepatitis C; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[13695/96]
Limerick East): The BTSB has informed my Department that the prevalence rate for hepatitis C in the donor population between 1991 and 1992 was 0.08 per cent and in 1995 had fallen to 0.01 per cent in the donor population.
The likely incidence of hepatitis C from blood transfusions can be calculated from the national operational testing programme. Of approximately 11,000 persons who were recipients of blood and blood products and who have come forward for testing under the optional testing programme the incidence of hepatitis C antibodies is 0.3 per cent. However, this rate may change significantly when more persons are tested as it is probable that those persons who had high exposure may have presented under the operational testing programme at the early stages of the programme for testing. It must also be borne in mind that a number of persons who have been tested under the national optional testing programme had other risk factors for hepatitis C besides transfusion of blood or blood products.
The targeted lookback programme is tracing blood transfusion recipients of potentially infective blood/blood products. Of the recipients tested to date 58 per cent have evidence of previous hepatitis C infection and while testing is not complete for hepatitis C virus from the results to date it is expected that 35 per cent to 40 per cent will have evidence of continuing infection.
In relation to children who received potentially infected blood transfusion prior to October 1991, the results to date indicate that 78 per cent are free from hapatitis C virus.
Both the targeted look back programme and the national optional testing programme are ongoing.
The precise number of blood transfusions that take place annually in Irish hospitals is not known. However, the number of units of issues from the Blood Transfusion Service Board to Irish hospitals in 1995 was 217,535, of which 5,773 were returned. Therefore, the number of transfusions per annum is estimated to be in the region of 212,000. However, it must be borne in mind that one patient may receive more than one transfusion.
As I have already mentioned the total number of blood transfusion/blood product recipients who have been tested for hepatitis C under the national optional testing programme is approximately 11,000.
For the first three months following the launch of the programme when the largest turnout would have been expected the number of people attending was an average of 2,000 per month. From December 1995 to May 1996, the number of people attending each month has ranged from 587 to 723 per month, with the excess of 600 persons attending each month since January 1996. Therefore the number of people attending per month during 1996 has not declined.
I am not currently considering placing further advertisements in newspapers but I will continue to keep the programme under review on a monthly basis.
