US killer blood to blame for 'horrific human tragedy

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A public inquiry in Britain has found US suppliers of contaminated blood products were mainly responsible for thousands of people being infected with HIV and hepatitis C in the 1970s and 1980s.

Nearly 5,000 people were exposed to hepatitis C and more than 1,200 of those were also infected with HIV. Almost 2,000 have since died as a result.

The inquiry called the use of contaminated blood products to treat patients with haemophilia a "horrific human tragedy" and says commercial interests appeared to have been given a higher priority than patient safety.

Blood products were imported from the United States despite alarms being sounded about risky practices there such as paying people like prison inmates to donate blood.

The inquiry also called on the British Government to apologise to patients who contracted HIV and hepatitis C.

It criticised the inaction of successive governments in investigating the crisis and called for compensation for victims' families.