Dr Contreras wrote to Dr Smithies on the decision of the UK Working Party on Transfusion-Associated Hepatitis (WPTTH) to not fund a follow-up study. She stated that WPTTH had funded surrogate studies to determine NANBH rates in donors, and Dr Contreras wanted a follow-up study, not for patient safety, but to use transmission rates as a 'defence against "panic" requests to start surrogate screening'.