By Rich Bowden, M&C Staff Writer Jan 10, 2008, 10:55 GMT
(M&C) - British soldiers who received emergency blood transfusions from US troops may have been exposed to contaminated blood, Defence Minister Derek Twigg said today.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown addresses British soldiers at Basra airbase on 09 December 2007 in Iraq. British soldiers who received emergency blood transfusions from US troops may have been exposed to contaminated blood, Defence Minister Derek Twigg said today. EPA/Peter Macdiarmid POOL
Mr Twigg said eighteen British soldiers were given life-saving blood transfusions from US supplies when they were seriously injured in either Iraq or Afghanistan however said the blood appeared not have been properly screened prior to use.
Though the risk was low, it left the soldiers possibly exposed to infections such as HIV, hepatitis or syphilis, the Sun reports.
Mr Twigg told GMTV on Thursday: "The procedures weren't followed in terms of retrospective testing by the Americans."
"We work very closely with the Americans in terms of battlefield casualties, and a number of our people have been saved by the Americans at their medical centres."
He added his department was taking the matter "very seriously".
The Ministry of Defence said in a statement it was contacting all servicemen it believes may have been affected. "We are contacting every one of the very small number of UK service personnel whose transfusions might not have had a valid retrospective test. However, any member of the forces who is concerned about a blood transfusion they received on deployed operations should contact their own doctor or medical officer."
Both the UK and the US have since reviewed their blood transfusion procedures.
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