NHS plans to find more blood victims

HEALTH officials have launched a new scheme to help identify people who may have unknowingly been given infected blood.

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People aged 29 and over who newly register with GP practices in England are to be asked if they had a blood transfusion prior to 1996, NHS England said.

If they did have a transfusion before 1996 they will be offered a test for hepatitis C, which is known as a silent killer because people can be infected unknowingly for decades before symptoms start and significant damage has already been done.

Hepatitis C is a virus that is passed on through blood-to-blood contact and infects the liver. Without treatment, it can cause serious damage to the liver.