A spokesman for Theresa May said it would establish the causes of the “appalling injustice” that took place in the 1970s and 1980s.

Thousands of NHS patients were given blood products from abroad that were infected with hepatitis C and HIV.

It’s been called the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS.

Many of those affected and their families believe they were not told of the risks involved and there was a cover-up.

Speaking to the BBC, Mrs May said: “They deserve answers, and the inquiry that I have announced today will give them those answers, so they will know why this happened, how it happened.

“This was an appalling tragedy and it should never have happened.”

What is the contaminated blood scandal?

A recent parliamentary report found around 7,500 patients were infected by imported blood products.

Many were patients with an inherited bleeding disorder called haemophilia.

They needed regular treatment with a clotting agent Factor VIII, which is made from donated blood.

The UK imported supplies and some turned out to be infected. Much of the plasma used to make Factor VIII came from donors like prison inmates in the US, who sold their blood.

Jason Evans was just four years old when his father Jonathan, a haemophiliac, died after being infected with HIV through contaminated Factor VIII treatment.

Jason recently discovered that in late 1984 his father had raised concerns with his doctors about Factor VIII but he says he was told “there was nothing to worry about, this is sensationalism and not to pay attention to it. And he trusted his doctor”.

Why has it taken so long?

The government has been strongly criticised for dragging its heels.

Greater Manchester mayor and former health secretary Andy Burnham has repeatedly called for a Hillsborough-style probe into what happened.

Mr Burnham claimed in the Commons that a “criminal cover-up on an industrial scale” had taken place.

The Downing Street announcement came hours before the government faced possible defeat in a vote on an emergency motion about the need for an inquiry.

Will victims be financially compensated?

Payments have been made to some of the people who were infected. A fund was established to help support survivors.

If the new inquiry finds culpability it opens the door to victims seeking large compensation payouts through the courts.

Liz Carroll, chief executive of the Haemophilia Society, said: “The government has for decades denied negligence and refused to provide compensation to those affected, this inquiry will finally be able to properly consider evidence of wrongdoing.”

Are blood products safe now?

Improvements in donor vetting meant that by 1986 UK patients were receiving safer treatments.

By the late 1990s, synthetic treatments for haemophilia became available, removing the infection risk.

Anyone who received a blood transfusion before 1991 is potentially at risk of Hepatitis C infection since blood donations were not screened before this date.

Blood donations are now routinely tested for infections, including hepatitis and HIV.

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Source: BBC

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Mrs Regina Brobbey Appiaa, Malaria Control focal person at the Sunyani Municipal Hospital said this at an orientation workshop intended to form the District Malaria Advocacy Group (DMAG).

The DMAG is to help stop the disease through ownership and sustainable methods in the Sunyani Municipality.

The day’s programme jointly organised by the Sunyani Municipal Health Directorate and Hope for Future Generations, a health-centred non-governmental organisation (NGO) was on the theme: “Contributing to reduce malaria incidence in Ghana.”

It was attended by more than 30 participants including health workers, heads of department, representatives of NGOs and civil society organisations, traditional rulers, the media and the public.

The DMAG, under a project dubbed: “Advocacy for Resource for Malaria Stoppage (ARMS) Initiative in Ghana” is being funded by the Department for International Development (DFID)/United Kingdom Agency for International Development (UKaid).

It would be responsible for the improvement and participation of leadership at the Municipal level in malaria programming and implementation and to support in the prevention and treatment capacity of health workers, NGOs and community members.

“The overall goal of the project is to contribute to reducing incidence of malaria in the Sunyani Municipality through testing prior to malaria treatment, formation and operationalisation of DMAG in the Municipality.”

Mrs Appiaa said malaria could accidentally be transmitted through blood transfusion and advised that the product should be properly screened before transfusion is administered.

She said malaria remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the country in spite of the implementation of numerous malaria awareness programmes by stakeholders.

Mrs Appiaa said the Sunyani Municipal Hospital from January to June 2016 recorded 21 per cent of Malaria cases among the top 10n Out-Patient Department (OPD) cases.

She observed that the biggest challenge in the treatment of malaria cases was medical practitioners relying on their clinical judgement in managing the disease.

She urged the public to insist on testing at the chemical shops, clinics and hospitals before accepting treatment.

Madam Rose A. Baalaboore, the Regional Coordinator of Hope for Future Generations said funding for the national effort in the prevention of Malaria continued to dwindle because Ghana had attained middle income status but all its malaria control activities were donor-funded.

Madam Baalaboore said it is time to increase domestic funding for malarial control activities by involving stakeholders in mobilising support for logistics and kits like Long Lasting Insecticide Treated Nets to reduce drastically the occurrence of the disease.

She said the project is being piloted in Sunyani and Techiman South Municipalities, Sunyani West, Techiman North, Asutifi South and Dormaa East Districts.

She said besides increase of local government funding for malaria prevention, it would promote sharing of information on current developments in malaria control among leaders and community members and would also increase its diagnosis before treatment.

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Source: GNA

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