Current estimates place the number of people still living who were infected with hepatitis C through Canada's blood system before January 1, 1986, at somewhere between 20,000 and 30,000. This does not include the 10,000 and 18,000 people who were already infected with hepatitis C before they used the blood system, but for a number of reasons many if not most of these cases cannot be distinguished from the others. Thus there are between 30,000 to 48,000 living people who might be considered as having been infected with hepatitis C through the blood system.
A working group of epidemiologists under contract to Health Canada developed these estimates using the latest data and information available. Health Canada invited key stakeholders to participate on an expert panel that reviewed the working group's findings. Participants included representatives from the provinces and territories, and consumer groups such as the Hepatitis C Society of Canada and the Canadian Hemophilia Society. The expert panel endorsed the working group methodologies and findings.
Question No. 102—