Infected blood scandal: British medicine’s worst moment

Thirty thousand people in the UK were given infected blood products over two decades, resulting in 3000 deaths (doi:10.1136/bmj.q1179). 1 The scandal has attracted descriptions to match: horrifying, an appalling medical tragedy, and the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS (doi:10.1136/bmj.q1143). 2 The six year Langstaff inquiry into the scandal is a 2500 page indictment of doctors, governments, blood services, and researchers.The intervention was overpromoted, including in children, and long term harms were disregarded.If anyone needs an argument for caution and evidence based practice then this is it.