One in ten Brits believe the wrong man is their biological father, according to an NHS chief – The Sun

GENETIC tests show one in ten people are mistaken about the man they believe is their father, according to an NHS chief.

And doctors face an ethical crisis as they do not always know what to do when the truth is uncovered.

It had been estimated that four per cent of people are unaware that they are not actually related to the man they call “dad”.

But Ian Cumming, head of Health Education England, said the figure is far higher.

He said: “If you look at people who have had genetic tests within families for reasons other than trying to work out paternity, for one in ten your dad isn’t who you think it is.

"Are we going to tell people ‘That’s not your dad’ — or are we going to keep that information to ourselves?”

Around 220,000 tests are carried out each year by the NHS in England and Scotland to check for hereditary ­diseases.

But it is not known how many people, if any, are told about paternity mix-ups, The Daily Telegraph reports.

Prof Mark Bellis, an expert on the issue, said: “Despite genomics creeping into many aspects of health treatments, we seem to be choosing to ignore what it reveals about infidelity and paternity.”

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