UK Prime Minster Issues Apology to Victims of Blood Contamination

Rishi Sunak, prime minister of the United Kingdom, issued an apology to victims and their families for the country’s failure to minimize contamination of the blood supply in the 1970s and 1980s. The apology came after the release of a landmark report on Monday, which found that between 1970 and 1991, more than 26,000 citizens of the U.K. were infected with hepatitis C through a blood transfusion and 1,250 were infected with HIV. The report blamed contaminated blood for the death of at least 3,000 Britons.

Sunak said the report represented “a day of shame for the British state” and made a “wholehearted and unequivocal apology” on behalf of the British government and the National Health Service to those who were affected.

The newly released report comprises approximately 2,000 pages and represents the results of a six-year inquiry into the blood contamination scandal. The report cites “a catalog of failures” at the heart of the issue and reveals that many of the factors leading to widespread contamination of the blood supply were “avoidable errors” that were covered up by government and health officials.

Sunak said the U.K. government plans to compensate victims and their families in the near future. Government and health officials will also be studying and considering the report’s many recommendations to avoid any future similar public health issues.