The final report of the U.K.’s infected blood inquiry will be published Monday, revealing the devastating impact of how tens of thousands of people contracted HIV or hepatitis from tainted blood and blood products in the 1970s and 1980s. The scandal is considered one of the deadliest to affect Britain’s National Health Service, with around 3,000 deaths attributed to the infections. The report is expected to criticize pharmaceutical firms, medical practitioners, civil servants, and politicians for their roles in the scandal and pave the way for a significant compensation bill that the British government will need to address promptly.
The infected blood scandal of the 1970s and 1980s arose from thousands of people receiving blood transfusions tainted with hepatitis and HIV, including hemophiliacs who were exposed to contaminated Factor VIII, a blood plasma product. Due to high demand, the U.K. started importing Factor VIII from the U.S., where plasma donors often included prisoners and drug users paid to donate blood. This led to a situation where one infected donor could compromise an entire batch of Factor VIII, resulting in estimates that over 30,000 people were infected with compromised blood or blood products through transfusions or Factor VIII treatment.
The inquiry into the infected blood scandal is expected to reveal missed chances to prevent the spread of infections, including evidence of the increased risk of hepatitis among hemophiliacs treated with Factor VIII as early as the mid-70s. Despite warnings from the World Health Organization and evidence that the causative agent of AIDS could be transmitted through blood products, patients were not informed of the risks and continued to use a treatment that put them in mortal danger. Lessons from the 1940s were also ignored, with campaigners arguing that authorities could have made Factor VIII safe before it was sold.
The inquiry’s core finding is likely to be that Factor VIII concentrates should never have been licensed for use unless heated, as evidence suggests that heat could have killed the hepatitis in the plasma product. Victims and their families have been calling for compensation since the late 1980s, but it wasn’t until campaigner Jason Evans brought a case against the Department of Health that the government set up an independent inquiry. The government has accepted the need for compensation, with estimates suggesting a final bill of around 10 billion pounds, and interim payments of 100,000 pounds have already been made to survivors and bereaved partners.
The impact of the infected blood scandal has been immeasurable, with many families losing loved ones decades too soon. Campaigners have fought tirelessly to uncover the truth and seek justice for those affected by the scandal. The publication of the inquiry’s final report is a crucial moment for those seeking answers and accountability. Through the report, many hope to gain closure and begin the process of healing from the trauma and loss caused by the infected blood scandal. The British government will be under pressure to address the report’s findings and provide the necessary compensation to those affected.
