Background to the public inquiry Between the 1970s and early 1990s thousands of UK patients contracted HIV, hepatitis viruses, or both, after receiving contaminated blood, blood products and tissue as part of medical treatments and procedures, such as blood transfusions. The Infected Blood Inquiry, chaired by Sir Brian Langstaff, a retired High Court judge, examined the circumstances that led to individuals being given contaminated blood and blood products in the UK.
