DEEMED the worst treatment disaster in NHS history, the contaminated blood scandal culminated in tens of thousands of Brits being infected with HIV and hepatitis. Victims of the scandal are expected to get at least £10billion in compensation , with an inquiry report set to reveal how top doctors and politicians failed to act on warnings about the safety of improperly screened blood transfusions and products like plasma. Many of those affected had bleeding disorders, particularly people with haemophilia who had a shortage of clotting agent Factor VIII.
Others were also infected through receiving blood transfusions during childbirth, surgery or other medical events. But when did the harrowing chain of events that killed 3,000 and and infected as many as 30,000 kick off? Here is a timeline of key dates in the scandal, leading up to the Infected Blood Inquiry ordered in 2017 by then-prime minister Theresa May . The World Health Organisation (WHO) warns that dried plasma should be prepared from pools of between 10 to 20 donors to reduce the risk of contamination.
Lord David Owen, while serving as a Labour health minister, pledges that the UK will become self-sufficient in blood products, with some £500,000 to be spent on the policy. The NHS is sourcing supply of factor concentrate, to replace the Factor VIII clotting agent, from overseas, after the UK fails to become self-sufficient. The WHO and the Lancet, a medical journal, say people with haemophilia should be told about the .
