| Part of Contaminated haemophilia blood products | |
| Date | late 1970s – 1980s |
|---|---|
| Location | Canada |
| Also known as | Tainted blood scandal |
| Type | public health crisis and scandal |
| Outcome | creation of Héma-Québec and Canadian Blood Services |
| Deaths | 8,000 |
| Inquiries | Commission of Inquiry on the Blood System in Canada |
| Inquiry report | Final report of the Krever Inquiry |
| Infections |
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| Part of a series on |
| Healthcare in Canada |
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The tainted blood disaster, or the tainted blood scandal, was a Canadian public health crisis in the 1980s in which thousands of people were exposed to HIV and hepatitis C through contaminated blood products. It became apparent that inadequately-screened blood, often coming from high-risk populations, was entering the system through blood transfusions.[1][2] It is now considered to be the largest single (preventable) public health disaster in the history of Canada.[3]
The Commission of Inquiry on the Blood System in Canada, more commonly referred to as the Krever Commission or Krever Inquiry, was a royal commission of inquiry into the tainted blood scandal, investigating how the Canadian Red Cross and the provincial and federal governments allowed contaminated blood into the healthcare system.[1]
Established by the Canadian Government in October 1993 and headed by Justice Horace Krever, the Krever Commission is one of the most high-profile public inquiries in Canadian history and is seen as bringing the scandal into the public eye.[2][4][5]
Over 30,000 Canadians were infected with hepatitis C between 1980 and 1990 and approximately 2,000 Canadians were infected with HIV between 1980 and 1985.[5][6] Around 8,000 of those who received tainted blood died or are expected to die as a result.[6][3] Some blood products were also sent abroad, infecting people in Japan, Germany, and Britain.[7]
- ^ a b "Krever Report on tainted blood lays blame in 1997". CBC Archives. 26 November 1997.
- ^ a b CBC Digital Archives - Canada's Tainted Blood Disaster
- ^ a b BloodWatch (October 2018). Securing & Protecting The Canadian Blood Supply: Why We Need A Legislative Ban On Paid-Plasma In Canada (PDF) (Report).
- ^ pearl (2017-10-17). "Commemoration of the Tainted Blood Tragedy | Hemophilia". Retrieved 2021-05-14.
- ^ a b "Pillars of Democracy: Tainted Blood". CPAC. 2017-10-16. Archived from the original on 2021-05-14. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
- ^ a b Picard, André. 2006 February 7. "Krever Inquiry." The Canadian Encyclopedia. Last Edited October 17, 2014.
- ^ "Tainted blood scandal comes to life in tv series, book". Radio Canada International. 2019-01-15. Retrieved 2021-05-14.