PATHOGEN INACTIVATION FOR BLOOD AND BLOOD PRODUCTS

That this House welcomes the Archer Report into the use of contaminated blood and blood products in the NHS; notes that the process of pathogen inactivation kills blood borne pathogens such as HIV-1/2, hepatitis B and hepatitis C, and in addition inactivates a range of new and emerging pathogens for which there are currently no blood screening tests and which are currently the cause of serious concern to public health authorities, including avian flu virus, H5N1, west Nile virus, SARS, chikungunya, dengue and influenza virus, H1N1; expresses concern at the extended length of the review of the safety of blood, tissues and organs; and therefore calls on the Government without further delay to adopt pathogen inactivation for all blood products in both civil and military use.