Wetin to know about di infected blood scandal for UK

More dan 30,000 pipo for UK dey infected wit HIV and hepatitis C sake of di contaminated blood products wey dem bin give dem for 1970s and 1980s.

One public inquiry describe di scale of di scandal as "horrifying" and accuse doctors, di goment and NHS of repeatedly failing patients.

Di goment say dem dey set up a final compensation scheme and dem add say from summer onwards, some victims go receive interim payments of £210,000.

Who dem give infected blood and how many of dem die?

Two main groups of NHS patients dey affected for dis mata wey dem call di biggest treatment disaster in di history of NHS.

Firstly, haemophiliacs - and those wit similar disorders – wey get one rare genetic condition e mean say dia blood no dey clot well.

Pipo wit haemophilia A get shortage of one clotting agent wey dem dey call Factor VIII, while pipo wit haemophilia B no get enough Factor IX.

For 1970s, dem develop one new treatment wey dem use donated human blood plasma to replace di clotting agents.

But whole batches bin dey contaminated wit deadly virus dem.

Afta dem give di infected treatments, about 1,250 pipo for UK wit bleeding disorders develop both HIV and hepatitis C, including 380 children.

Around two-thirds of dem later die of Aids-related sickness. Some wey no bin know give dia partners HIV.

Anoda 2,400 to 5,000 pipo develop hepatitis C on dia own, wey fit cause cirrhosis and liver cancer.

E dey difficult to know di exact number of pipo wey dey infected wit hepatitis C, partly becos e dey take decades for symptoms to appear.

A second group of patients, dem give dem contaminated blood transfusions afta childbirth, surgery or oda medical treatment between 1970 and 1991.

Di inquiry estimates say na between 80 and 100 of dis pipo bin dey infected wit HIV, and about 27,000 wit hepatitis C.

In total, dem say na about 2,900 pipo die.

Since dem announce di inquiry for 2017, di Haemophilia Society believe say 650 pipo wey bin dey infected wit contaminated blood products, or dia bereaved partners, don die.

Wetin di infected blood inquiry tok?

Di inquiry reveal say dem fail di victims "not once, but many times", and add say dem bin know about di risk of viral infections for blood products since 1948.

Inquiry chairman Sir Brian Langstaff say di authorities no bin dey open on top dis mata and tok about documents wey bin dey destroyed.

Im tok about di cover up, so pipo bin no know about di risk of dia treatment, available alternatives, or even whether dem bin dey infected.

Di report say:

Infected blood scandal victims go get compensation?

Di total cost of compensation dey expected to run into billions.

Goment publish one document to show di amounts individuals fit expect to get.

One pesin wey dey infected with HIV, for example, fit expect to receive compensation of between £2.2m and £2.6m. Dis na average range rather dan di upper and lower limits.

Those wit chronic hepatitis C infection, wey last more dan six months, fit expect to receive between £665,000 and £810,000.

Examples of compensation awards for di family members of those wey dey infected also dey too.

Di partner of someone infected wit HIV wey still dey alive today, for example, suppose expect to receive around £110,000, while one child fit get £55,000.

If dia loved-one don die and dem bin dey financially dependent on dem, annual payments dey available.

Outlining di scheme, Cabinet Office Minister John Glen say payments – wey di goment expect to start before di end of di year – go dey free from tax and no go affect benefits.

For cases wia pipo wey for dey entitled to compensation don die, di money go go to dia estate.

Before dem go deliver final compensation, im say dem go make interim payments of £210,000, starting from dis summer.

Many pipo don criticise di goment for waiting until afta di publication of the final report to announce di kain compensation dem go give.

Bereaved families bin hala for di prime minister for July 2023 wen im bin tell di inquiry say di goment go act as "quickly as possible".

For late 2022, following di advice from di inquiry, di goment bin make interim payments of £100,000 each to around 4,000 surviving victims and some bereaved partners.

How di infected blood scandal happun?

For 1970s, UK bin dey struggle to meet di demand for blood-clotting treatments, so dem import supplies from US.

But most of di blood dem bring dat time na from high-risk donors like prison inmates and drug-users.

Di way dem make Factor VIII na by pooling plasma from tens of thousands of donors.

If just one bin carry virus, den e mean say di entire batch fit dey contaminated.

UK blood donations no bin dey screen for hepatitis C until 1991, 18 months afta dem first identify di virus.

Wen authorities know about di infected blood?

By mid-1970s, plenty warning bin dey say di imported US Factor VIII bin carry great risk of infection.

But attempts to make UK more self-sufficient for blood products fail, so NHS kotinu to use foreign supplies.

Campaigners say dem for give haemophiliacs instead, as alternative treatment wey dem bin dey call Cryoprecipitate. E dey harder to administer, but e dey made from di blood plasma of one single donor, di infection risk low.

BBC News don uncover evidence wey show say children bin dey infected wit hepatitis C and HIV afta dem bin place dem on clinical trials for new treatments – most times, without dia family approval.

As late as November 1983, di goment bin insist say "conclusive proof" no dey say you fit catch HIV wit blood, na line wey di former health minister Ken Clarke bi defend well-well wen im bin appear before di inquiry.

Wetin happun for oda kontris affected by infected blood?

Many oda kontris bin dey affected, although some - including Finland – bin use older treatments until much later rather dan switch to Factor VIII, wey minimise HIV infections.

Sir Brian Langstaff wey deliver di findings of di inquiry, criticise UK goment claims for 1990s wey say screening for hepatitis C begin as soon as di technology bin dey available.

Im say 23 oda kontris - including Japan, Finland and Spain - bin introduce di screening before UK.

For US, companies wey bin supply infected products don pay out millions in out-of-court settlements.

Politicians and drug companies chop conviction of negligence for some kontris including France and Japan.

For im evidence to di inquiry, former health secretary Andy Burnham bin suggest grounds for charges of corporate manslaughter for UK.