My new radio documentary ‘Tainted Blood’ lays bare the devastating impact of infected blood products on the Irish Haemophilia Community

In 1982 the first case of HIV was recorded in Ireland. By 1985 all people with haemophilia were being tested for the disease. More than one third of them were found to be HIV positive having contracted the disease through infected blood products that were made up of pooled plasma from thousands of donors, much of which had been imported. 

At this time there was little or no government response to HIV. Support groups for those affected by the crisis such as the gay and haemophiliac communities were essentially left to deal with this crisis on their own. 

This new documentary ‘Tainted Blood’, aired on Documentary on Newstalk on Sunday 6th August and shared the heartbreaking story of how this community was plunged into desperation and the actions that had to be taken to secure justice.