Diane Folkard was six months pregnant with her second child when she ended up in Arrowe Park hospital with pneumonia. Blood tests came back with unusual liver readings, and she was asked if she knew she was carrying hepatitis C.
The 38-year-old from Wallasey told the national Infected Blood Inquiry: “I literally went white in the face and looked at my husband in shock. I was really annoyed and swore at the time.”
She was asked whether she had used needles or had many sexual partners, both possible routes for the blood-borne virus. She said no to both, and told medical staff she believed the infection dated back to the nine blood transfusions she received as a baby. Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus that attacks the liver and can lead to severe complications, including cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer, if left untreated.
A secret carried since birth
Diane was born in 1988 as the first of triplets, delivered by emergency C-section after a premature rupture of membranes. One of her sisters died after birth. The transfusions were given to restore her immunoglobin levels, and for years she thought little of it.
She met her husband after graduating from university in 2010 and had her first child in 2012. It was not until 2019, aged 31, that the hepatitis C infection was found. Because she was pregnant, she could not begin treatment until after giving birth, and she was eventually cured with a course of antiviral tablets.
Giving evidence to the inquiry in 2020, she said: “I had no knowledge or inclination that I was carrying Hep C. I therefore took no precautions to protect him or any other members of my family.” She also questioned why the infection had gone unnoticed for so long: “I had an emergency C-section 7 years earlier, I had numerous blood tests over the years. I wonder what on earth would have happened to me had it not been detected.”
Worst treatment disaster in NHS history
The infected blood scandal saw around 30,000 people in the UK contract HIV and hepatitis C through contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 1980s. Much of the blood was imported from abroad and came from high-risk donors, including prisoners and drug addicts. More than 3,000 people have died in what MPs described as the worst treatment disaster in NHS history.
In 2024, the Infected Blood Inquiry, chaired by Sir Brian Langstaff, concluded the infections could have been largely avoided. Its report found that doctors, the NHS and governments had repeatedly failed victims.
Stigma and long-term impact
Diane said she believes the undetected infection may have affected her health. She said she has always suffered from brain fog and feels slow to understand concepts. She told the ECHO: “I don’t know what impact this has had but I imagine having Hepatitis C in my system for 31 years hasn’t been a good thing for me.”
She also described a lasting psychological toll, saying she has to declare her status at hospital and dental appointments. She added: “There is a stigma. When I have to go for blood tests now, it always comes up and I worry about people hearing and judging me. I worry they will think I have been sticking needles in my arms.”
Previously she told the inquiry: “It makes me feel dirty to think that I have suffered with a condition which has been undetected for all these years and which has been frowned upon for its association with drug use and the sex trade. It makes my skin crawl.”
Compensation and speaking out
Diane has received compensation from the Infected Blood Compensation Authority, the independent body set up to issue awards to victims. She is now writing and speaking about her experience, and wants to connect with other victims to understand how they have been affected.
