Children as guinea pigs in UK

 

The recent revelations about medical trials involving infected blood products on children in the 1970s and 80s have shocked many. Here's a summary of the key points from the BBC News report:

1. Scope of the Trials:

   • Documents uncovered by BBC News reveal extensive and secretive clinical trials involving infected blood products on children in the UK during the 1970s and 80s. These trials continued for over 15 years and involved hundreds of children, many of whom were infected with hepatitis C and HIV.
   • Children with blood clotting disorders, such as haemophilia, were subjected to these trials without proper consent from their families. The majority of these children, who were enrolled in the trials, have since died.

2. Contaminated Blood Products:

   • A shortage of blood products in the UK during that time led to the importation of these products from the US, where high-risk donors, including prisoners and drug addicts, contributed plasma. These blood products were widely known to be contaminated with potentially fatal viruses such as hepatitis C and HIV.
   • Despite this knowledge, doctors in haemophilia centers across the UK continued to use these blood products on children, exposing them to serious health risks.

3. Victims Speak Out:

   • Surviving victims of these trials, like Luke O'Shea-Phillips, recall being treated like "guinea pigs." Luke, who contracted hepatitis C as a child during a clinical trial, describes being enrolled in the trial without his mother's knowledge. He emphasizes that his treatment change for the trial resulted in a fatal disease, yet his family was never informed.
   • Others, like Mark Stewart, recount the devastating consequences of unknowingly participating in these trials. Mark's father and brother both contracted hepatitis C and subsequently died of liver cancer as a result of their participation in the trials.

4. Ethical Concerns:

   • The revelation of these trials raises serious ethical questions about the treatment of vulnerable patients, the lack of informed consent, and the prioritization of research goals over patient welfare. Some doctors involved in the trials pursued clinical advancement through research at the expense of patient safety.
   • Patients were subjected to placebo treatments without their knowledge, and some were even punished for missing injections, highlighting the disregard for their well-being.

5. Ongoing Inquiry:

   • A public inquiry is underway to investigate the infected blood scandal, with the final report expected in May. The inquiry aims to uncover the truth about these trials, provide answers to victims and their families, and address the systemic failures that allowed such unethical practices to occur.

The revelations about these medical trials underscore the importance of upholding ethical standards in medical research and ensuring that patient welfare remains paramount. The victims and their families seek justice and accountability for the harm inflicted upon them during these dark chapters in medical history.