The taintedblood Timeline  -  what really happened...

Screening for Hepatitis B becomes available.

Note: The screening of donated plasma for hepatitis B, (HBV) is introduced by BPL in November 1971.

When commercial factor concentrates are introduced more widely between 1974-1975, there is a sudden exceptional spike of 5.2% in the yearly incidence of hepatitis. The yearly incidence otherwise remains roughly the same for 11 years between 1969 and 1980.

In August 1975, Travenol withdraws Hemofil after the product is associated with an outbreak of Hepatitis B. It is recognised that commercial factor concentrates are associated with these outbreaks.

Dr Craske, et al, report in Lancet an outbreak of hepatitis in England that shows that commercial concentrate is more risky than NHS concentrate.

At a haemophilia centre in Bournemouth, there is an outbreak of hepatitis which is associated with 3 out of 4 batches of a commercial brand of freeze-dried factor VIII concentrate between the months of April and June 1974.

• 18 out of 20 patients receive commercial factor VIII
• 9 patients become ill out of a total of 18
• there are 4 cases of hepatitis B within 6 months of product use
• there are 7 cases of non-B hepatitis
• 2 of the patients contract both types of hepatitis

A retrospective survey of cases of hepatitis associated with a commercial brand of factor VIII is carried out in 24 Haemophilia Centres in the UK from January 1974 until December 1975. Four of the suspect batches of concentrate are found to be positive for HBsAg.

• 371 patients are transfused with the commercial product
• There are 78 cases of hepatitis affecting 66 patients (17.7%)
• 1 patient dies after contracting Hepatitis B
• 12 patients contract 2 types of hepatitis: Non-B hepatitis, then HBV later on