Completed hepatitis C lookback in Northern Ireland

Hepatitis C virus screening of blood donors was introduced in September 1991 using a second-generation enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) and subsequent confirmatory testing with immunoblot (RIBA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In April 1995 a lookback exercise was announced by the Department of Health, the purpose of which was to trace, counsel, investigate and, if necessary, treat individuals who may have been infected with HCV through blood and blood products prior to screening. A total of 231,321 donations have been screened, of which 553 were found to be reactive. Subsequent confirmatory tests identified 24 HCV-positive donors; 13 were repeat donors who had given a total of 164 units. Ninety-three units were traced and 117 components were identified as having been issued to hospitals. Twenty-five recipients requiring follow-up were identified, of which three were assessed by their GPs as not requiring counselling. Of 22 recipients of potentially infectious units 12 showed no evidence of exposure to HCV. We discuss these results in detail.