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Outlook: My children were injected with HIV

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Matthew and Simon Merry

15/09/2022 GMT

My children were injected with HIV

BBC World Service - Outlook, My children were injected with HIV

Jennifer Merry’s haemophiliac sons were infected by contaminated blood in a UK hospital.

When Jennifer Merry took her haemophiliac children to the hospital, she wanted treatment for them. She said "they were given death instead."

Jennifer Merry’s sons – Matthew and Simon – were born with haemophilia, a genetic condition that means a person’s blood doesn’t clot properly. Matthew and Simon had to get a treatment to survive: for years, they were injected with a blood-clotting protein taken from donated and purchased blood. In 1985 Jennifer received shocking news: the blood her children were injected with was contaminated with HIV. Matthew, Simon and thousands of others in the UK became the victims of what has been called the worst treatment disaster in the history of Britain’s National Health Service. A public inquiry into what happened is currently underway and last month, the British government announced 4000 victims of the infected blood scandal would receive interim compensation. This interview was first broadcast on 5th June 2019. 

Growing up in Singapore, Teresa Lim heard stories about various family members with one notable exception: her great aunt.  Decades later, Teresa's mother gave her an old black and white photograph - taken in 1935 - which sent her on an epic ten-year search to find out more about this mysterious great aunt. She learned about the astonishing impact she'd had on Teresa's family - in particular the women - but also why her story had been kept quiet. Teresa's written a memoir called The Interpreter's Daughter. 

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com

(Photo: Matthew and Simon Merry. Credit: Courtesy of Jennifer Merry)

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