Britain ready to investigate contaminated blood scandal which killed 2,400

Thousands of people have been affected by contaminated blood products which were supplied to the National Health Service (NHS) during the 1970s and 1980s and now Britain is ready to find out what really happened.

Britain will hold a public inquiry into the scandal which killed at least 2,400 people and affected the quality of life of thousands of others, according to the government report shared on Tuesday.

According to the details provided, during the 70s and 80s, blood products supplied to the NHS were contaminated with viruses such as HIV or hepatitis C, and it infected thousands of people with heamophilia or other bleeding disorders.

Several members of the parliament rallied for this inquiry to provide answers to the families of those affected. Victims’ families will be consulted to decide what form of inquiry to take in order to dig out answers.

Health minister Philip Dunne said many documents were publicly available which gave a comprehensive picture of events and decisions made at the time.

“However, I recognise for those affected these steps do not go far enough to provide the answers that they want to get to the truth of what happened,” he told parliament. “In light of these concerns and a report of new evidence and allegations of potential criminality, we think it is important to understand the extent of what is claimed and the wider issues that arise.”

According to a report prepared by the lawmakers in 2015, it was estimated that more than 30,000 people might have been infected with hepatitis C between 1970 and 1991 when Britain imported some blood products from the United States. It further added that 1,500 people got infected with HIV between 1978 and 1985 due to these contaminated products.

The inquiry is aimed to provide some closure to the families affected and also uncover negligence and criminal intent.

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Posted by fatimaarshad on Jul 12 2017. Filed under Latest News, World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.