A new study commissioned by the public inquiry into the contaminated blood scandal estimates that 1,820 people died in the UK after receiving infected blood transfusions between 1970 and 1991. The research suggests that up to 26,800 individuals were likely infected with hepatitis C through donated blood during childbirth or hospital operations.
The scandal, described as the worst treatment disaster in NHS history, involved two main groups. One group of haemophilia patients received regular injections of contaminated blood-clotting treatment in the 1970s and 1980s, with at least 3,650 infected with HIV, hepatitis C, or both, and over 1,500 believed to have died. The second group was exposed to hepatitis C through blood transfusions during surgery or childbirth.
Hepatitis C, often called the silent killer, primarily affects the liver and can lead to cirrhosis or cancer if untreated. The long delay between infection and symptoms makes it difficult to determine the full scale of infections. The study estimates that between 21,300 and 38,800 people were infected through transfusions, with a central estimate of 26,800.
The research also found that between 79 and 100 people contracted HIV through donated blood, with most infections occurring between 1985 and 1987. Of these, 67 have died, though causes of death were not confirmed. All UK blood donations are now screened for HIV and hepatitis.
The public inquiry, which began in 2019, is expected to publish its final report in 2023. In August, the government awarded interim compensation payments of £100,000 each to over 3,000 surviving victims, citing the extremely high death rate among survivors.
