Drug addicts used as organ donors

Body parts from drug addicts are being used by surgeons due to a serious shortage of organs.

Between 2002 and 2007 about 450 organs came from donors with a history of drug abuse. A prior abuse of drugs may affect the quality of the organ and raise infection risks.

The lack of donor organs is due to the fact that people are dying in car accidents, when organs can often be retrieved intact.

There are more than 8,000 people in the UK who need an organ donation but only 3,000 transplants are carried out each year. It is estimated that one person dies each day waiting for an organ.