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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 3 Hansard (23 March) . . Page.. 687 ..

My answer

A search for the surviving recipients is proceeding. To date eleven people have been contacted. Seven of those contacted have tested positive for the virus and four persons have tested negative. Three of these cases fall within the compensable period, 1985-1990 but all of these are negative for the virus.

The ACT has been notified of 2008 cases of hepatitis C infection. It is estimated that there could be as many as 200 cases of transfusion related HCV in the ACT and surrounding areas (based on national averages). Some of the cases of HCV not already identified by the donor triggered Lookback will have passed away (possibly 50% of cases) due to the nature of the illness or injury which required that the recipient had the blood transfusion. Others will be aware they have the virus and will identify blood transfusion as a risk factor for the infection.

In an enhanced surveillance project conducted by the Communicable Disease Control Unit for the years 1994 to 1996, 70 people identified 'blood transfusion' as a possible risk factor for their HCV. The follow up of these cases is known as Recipient Triggered Lookback. Where people have identified blood transfusion as a risk factor for their Hepatitis C we have investigated forty nine cases so far with varying results.

A total of twenty one of the persons investigated received blood. Five of these were before 1985 when no test was available. Eleven people were in the period between 1985 and 1990. This is the compensable period when liver function tests were available but not routinely used in the ACT. Five persons appear to have been infected after 1990 and post the introduction of donor testing. Post testing cases can be due to the donor being tested shortly after infection and in what is known as the 'window period' when antibodies do not show up in the blood. It is unlikely that persons infected after testing will be eligible for compensation as a statutory defence exists in the ACT.

A further 10 recipient-triggered cases were identified through the 'Crisis Line' which operated after the Ministerial announcement in August of last year and not all of these have been substantiated.

The Department established the financial assistance scheme to deal with the above liability. The financial assistance scheme is being jointly administered by the ACT Department of Health and Community Care and the Department of Justice and Community Safety.

The principles underpinning the proposed financial assistance scheme are as follows: