More than 30,000 infected and 3,000 dead: The shocking numbers behind the infected blood scandal

Damning public inquiry has laid bare failings of worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS

The worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS has been exposed in a damning public inquiry.

A 2,527-page report into the “shameful” infected blood scandal has accused the government and NHS of a calamity of failures that left 30,000 patients infected with HIV and hepatitis.

More than 3,000 people have died due to infected blood, blood products and tissue, with the number continuing to rise.

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 (HCV),  Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease (vCJD) and HIV.

Chairman of the infected blood inquiry Sir Brian Langstaff with victims and campaigners outside Central Hall (Jeff Moore/PA Wire)

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Below is the breakdown of the numbers behind what the inquiry found to be the result of a “chilling and pervasive” cover-up by politicians, doctors and civil servants.

Infected blood inquiry in numbers

Statisticians advising the Infected Blood Inquiry have come up with a number of figures about how many people have been infected, though they have stressed there is “considerable uncertainty about the conclusions”.

Commentators have suggested that the figures – particularly those around hepatitis C infections – should be seen as a “starting point”.

There were around 4,000 to 6,000 people with bleeding disorders in the UK at any one time.

Around 1,250 people with bleeding disorders such as haemophilia were infected with HIV through infected blood products. The best estimate is that this included 380 children.

Some 80 to 100 people were infected with HIV as a result of a blood transfusion – which could have been given following an accident, during surgery, during childbirth or another medical procedure.

Between 3,650 and 6,250 people with bleeding disorders were infected with hepatitis C – this includes 1,250 people who were co-infected with HIV and hepatitis C. Three quarters of these 1,250 adults and children have died.

Some 26,800 people were infected with hepatitis C as a result of having a blood transfusion – though statisticians said this number could vary anywhere between 21,300 and 38,800 people.

Some 22,000 of these were deemed to be chronically infected as they survived more than six months after their transfusion.

Among people who received hepatitis C as a result of a blood transfusion, 64% were women.

Five people were infected with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and all died.

The figures do not include people who were “indirectly infected” – such as a partner who caught HIV from a loved one who had been given contaminated blood or a blood product.

Statisticians said that it is not possible to estimate the numbers of hepatitis B virus infections with “reasonable accuracy”.

It has since been estimated that 3,000 people have died as a result of the infections, while others live with ongoing side effects of infection.

The damming report found the infected blood scandal “could largely have been avoided” and there was a “pervasive” cover-up to hide the truth.

The 2,527-page report documents a “catalogue of failures” which had “catastrophic” consequences, not only among people infected with contaminated blood and blood products, but also their loved ones.

Ministers have earmarked around £10 billion for a compensation package for those affected, which is expected to be announced on Tuesday or Wednesday.

The inquiry, which began on 2 July 2018, was the largest public inquiry carried out in the UK.

In the last six years, the inquiry has examined millions of pieces of written evidence and oral evidence from dozens of witnesses.

The witnesses include those who were infected, their families, former health secretaries and healthcare professionals.

In 2022, on the recommendation of inquiry chair Sir Brian Langstaff, the government committed to pay interim compensation of £100,000 to those who received infected blood or to their families.