A landmark inquiry investigating the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS is set to conclude on Monday. The Infected Blood Inquiry has laid bare the scale of the failings within the health service which left tens of thousands of people in the UK infected with deadly viruses . Between the 1970s and early 1990s , patients were given contaminated blood and blood products.
They included people who needed blood transfusions for accidents, in surgery or during childbirth, and patients with certain blood disorders. Some 3,000 people have died and others have been left with lifelong health complications after being infected with viruses including hepatitis C and HIV. It has been estimated that one person dies as a result of infected blood every four days.
But what exactly are the symptoms and treatments for Hepatitis? Hepatitis C is a blood-bourne disease that is passed on through blood-to-blood contact and infects the liver. Without treatment, it can cause serious damage to the liver. Hepatitis can also occur as a result of a viral infection or liver damage caused by alcohol.
The disease is known as the “silent killer” as some people can live with the virus for many years before realising that they are infected. But the delay in diagnosis can lead to irreparable liver damage. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), hepatitis B and C affect approximately 500 million people around the world, causing around 1.
5 million deaths every year. The Hepatitis C Trus.
