A 26-year-old haemophiliac found out two months ago that he carried hepatitis C antibodies despite believing tests in 1994 had cleared him of the disease.
The young man, who used the pseudonym Frank, told the Lindsay tribunal yesterday that after the tests he was greeted with the news that he was "lucky", which he understood meant he was completely clear. His belief that he was free of hepatitis C was reinforced last year when he was sent to the Dental Hospital for treatment. He read his letter of referral which stated he had hepatitis C but when he challenged the referring doctor about this, he was told it was a mistake and would be wiped from his medical records.
Since he discovered the truth last August, he no longer trusted the medical services for haemophiliacs and was "scared" to go to hospital.
He said he had been to St James's Hospital on three occasions in recent times after bleeds and each time he had to show the person attending to him how to mix his injections and set up his intravenous line.
Frank said he did not know whether his health would be affected in the future. He had just finished his studies and would be at a disadvantage in the jobs market because he would have to reveal his medical history.
"It's quite scary being up here. Two months ago I saw this in the papers and I thought I don't want to know about it because it's not me. That's great. But now I'm here. Something's not right."
Another witness, who used the name Niamh, gave evidence that she was treated at University College Hospital Galway, since she was a child, but although she had chronic, unexplained tiredness, was not offered a hepatitis C test.
She had her GP test her in 1995 and when the result came back positive, went to find her consultant, Prof Ernest Egan.
She found him on his rounds and was left like a "zombie" after he spoke to her in a hallway and told her "It's not good" before proceeding on his rounds. She said her GP arranged an appointment for her with a specialist and rejected assertions by Mr Charles Meenan SC, for Prof Egan, that it was in fact Prof Egan who had made the arrangements for her.
Niamh said that since she was diagnosed, her relationship had broken up and she was not coping well.
"It can get worse at any time. Maybe in a few years, maybe in five weeks. It's very hard. You have to be a victim and go through it for yourself. No-one knows until you go through it." A third witness, using the name Marian, told how she had lost two of three haemophiliac sons to hepatitis C and HIV-related illnesses and that the third was ill.
She had been "on top of the world" when new treatments for haemophilia came on stream in the 1980s but discovering subsequently that they had infected her sons was "the biggest blow" she could ever have suffered.