THE first male victim of blood or blood products infected with Hepatitis C has been provisionally awarded £40,000 by the compensation tribunal.
The 40 year old seaman, who is married with a young family, is also the first blood transfusion patient to receive compensation.
Mr Dave Coleman, of Lavelle and Coleman, solicitors, said his client had relatively minor symptoms and had decided to keep open his options and seek a provisional award.
"While his symptoms now are relatively minor, the blood batch from which he received his transfusion was identified as an infected one." Mr Coleman said. "By going for the provisional award he will be able to seek further compensation should his symptoms worsen in later years.
Two women victims, who also received awards from the tribunal yesterday, expressed themselves as "pleased", Mr Coleman said. His company had been asked not to divulge the amounts concerned.
"It must be remembered that we represent a significant number of claimants and many of them know each other," he said. "Obviously some will not wish their awards to be made known."
Mr Coleman said a 43 year old Dublin mother of eight received an award. While she was not virus active she had shown some depressive symptoms.
A woman from the south east, a civil servant in her early forties, also received an award yesterday.
Both women have a month in which to decide whether to accept the awards. If they do they will be unable to seek further compensation should symptoms worsen.
Mr Coleman explained that it was only in the case of provisional awards, such as the seaman's, that claimants would be allowed to seek further compensation should symptoms worsen.
The tribunal will be sitting for four or five days a week until it gets through all the current 12,000 cases.