The taintedblood Timeline  -  what really happened...

A vaccine for Hepatitis B is licensed in the United Kingdom. The DHSS decides not to purchase any vaccine centrally, due to insufficient funding. Instead, each Region is to find funds from existing budgets for the purchase of HBV vaccines.

Note:
Perhaps the question should be posed as to whether the medical profession knew that haemophiliacs already had antibodies to Hepatitis B? Yet, the profession's desire to amass research through trials on PUPs (Previously Untreated Patients) prevailed.

A licensed Hepatitis B Vaccine will be available in the UK at the end of September 1982. This vaccine is to be offered to "priority patients" with haemophilia.

A trial is to be conducted at Oxford involving Haemophilia A patients, whereby the vaccine is to be administered by subcutaneous route.

At a meeting of Haemophilia Centre Directors in 1982, Dr Preston states that information regarding autopsies of all deceased haemophiliac patients will in future be collected by Haemophilia Centre Directors and returned to the UKHCDO for central analysis.

Note: The requirement of an autopsy is applied to ALL persons with haemophilia who have died. There is nothing in the minutes which indicates that the cause of death is taken into account.

In a Haemophilia Centre Directors' Organisation meeting in September 1982, there is not only knowledge of AIDS infecting haemophiliacs in the USA, but also, there is some understanding of the possible involvement of commercial blood products.

Dr Craske is tasked with looking into reports of the syndrome in 3 haemophiliacs from the United States. HCDO minutes state that: "It appeared that there was a remote possibility that commercial blood products had been involved."