Home NEWS Parents of boy who died from HIV in contaminated blood say haemophiliacs ‘feared for their lives’

Parents of boy who died from HIV in contaminated blood say haemophiliacs ‘feared for their lives’

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Parents of boy who died from HIV in contaminated blood say haemophiliacs ‘feared for their lives’

Lee Turton (pictured above) died when he was just 10-years-old from Hep C and HIVThe devastated parents of a young boy who died after contracting HIV from contaminated blood products have slammed MPs for not taking action.Lee Turton died in 1992 when he was just 10-years-old and his parents have now claimed MPs ‘did nothing’ and that they had known that blood products had been contaminated.His mother Denise Turton told the Blood Inquiry in London today that while MPs shouted about ‘fearing for their safety’, haemophiliacs had been ‘fearing for their lives’.Both Colin and Denise Turton said their son Lee had been diagnosed with haemophilia soon after his birth in 1981 and had been given blood products to manage the condition.Giving evidence, the couple said that they were first informed that Lee had contracted HIV in 1985. Mrs Turton told the inquiry she had concerns over the Factor VIII they had been using for their son.She added: ‘The pain of reliving what happened to Lee is nothing compared to the pain and suffering that he had in his short life.’We lost our beautiful son and brother, as did so many parents. We listen to MPs shouting about fearing for their safety, haemophiliacs were fearing for their lives and the safety of the Factor VIII they were using.Lee (pictured above) was shunned from his school once it was found that he was living with HIV ‘The Government knew the Factor VIII being used was infected, as did the pharmaceutical companies, and did nothing.’The inquiry was shown a moving video of Lee’s last Christmas before the pair were given a standing ovation after their evidence. A timeline of the contaminated blood scandal which began in the early-1970s1972: NHS starts importing large batches of Factor VIII products from United States to help clot blood of haemophiliacs. 1974: Some researchers warn that Factor VIII could be contaminated and spreading hepatitis.Late-1970s: Patients continue to be given Factor VIII, with much of the plasma used to make the product coming from donors such as prison inmates, drug addicts and prostitutes.1983: Governments in both the UK and the United States are told that Aids has been spread through blood products.Mid-1980s: By now the blood products such as Factor VIII, were being heat-treated to kill viruses, but thousands of patients had already been infected. 1991: Blood products imported from US are withdrawn from use. The government awards ex-gratia payments to haemophiliac victims threatening to sue. 2007: Privately-funded inquiry into scandal set up by Lord Archer of Sandwell but it does not get offical status and relies on donations.2008: Penrose Inquiry launched, but victims claim the seven-year investigation was a ‘whitewash’. 2017: Independent inquiry into contaminated blood scandal announced by Prime Minister Theresa May. April, 2019: Infected Blood Inquiry starts hearing evidence.After Lee died the family said they discovered he had also contracted hepatitis C, the inquiry heard.Mrs Turton told the inquiry that the family had decided to move to Cornwall after it was leaked to the press and his school that Lee had HIV.She said that parents had not wanted her son at the school and one teacher had said they would not teach Lee and her son was left isolated.She added: ‘He [Lee] wasn’t invited to friends, he wasn’t invited to parties, which was very hard not only for him but for his sister.’So we decided to move from the area to look after him the best we could without anybody knowing who he was.’The couple said their son had been a ‘happy little boy’, and Mr Turton added: ‘He was a bright, intelligent child, joking, always joking.’But the inquiry heard that from around 1988 Lee’s health began to go downhill and he had problems walking, breathing and eating and eventually had to be fed through a tube.Mrs Turton said: ‘He couldn’t walk far, he couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t eat, he was eventually fed through a tube.’It was just infection after infection, we spent most of the time in and out of hospital with him.’Mrs Turton told the inquiry that in January 1992 they had found Lee on the bathroom floor fitting and he was rushed to hospital.The family were told Lee had between two and 10 days to live and he died eight days later on January 22 1992.Mrs Turton said: ‘When we got back to Cornwall they actually told us he had between two and 10 days to live.’They said he had an infection on the brain, so we insisted he went home that day because that’s what he wanted to do, he kept asking, so we took him home.’He died on the eighth day.’ Mr and Mrs Turton said it was in 1988 that Lee’s health began to go downhill and he had problems walking (Lee is pictured above) Lee’s condition started to deteriorate in 1988, the couple said. He began to lose his appetite and was ‘always ill’The contaminated blood scandal has been labelled the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS.Thousands of patients were infected with HIV and hepatitis C through contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 1980s. Around 2,400 people died.The inquiry is chaired by former High Court judge Sir Brian Langstaff who at the beginning of the evidence session reiterated his promise to put people at the heart of the probe.He said there was still time for witnesses to come forward and added: ‘If you have given a witness statement, and would like to be heard, do not, please, think at the end of this set of hearings that you have lost any chance of that.’I promised to put people who have been infected, or affected by the suffering of others, not only first but also last. There is time.’

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