British Prime Minister Theresa May has described the tainted-blood scandal as "a tragedy that never should have happened." At least 2,400 people died from contaminated blood in the 1970s and '80s.
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Witness testimony began in the UK's long-awaited Infected Blood Inquiry on Tuesday. The probe is examining how tainted blood was used to treat thousands of people during the 1970s and '80s.
Patients — many of whom were hemophiliacs — became infected with HIV or Hepatitis C through the contaminated blood products, most of which were imported from the United States by British health services.
Some of the plasma used to make the blood products was traced to high-risk donors, including US prison inmates, who had been paid to give blood samples.
Derek Martindale, a hemophiliac infected with hepatitis C and HIV from infected blood products he was given as a child, was the first witness to be questioned during the hearing.
Recalling how he discovered his HIV positive status, he said: "I was told I was HIV positive, told I had a year to live and told not to tell anyone including my family and my parents [because of the stigma]," reported Britain's Sky News.
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'Worst treatment disaster'
As the hearings got underway, British Prime Minister Theresa May showed her determination to find answers. She ordered the inquiry two years ago, after previous probes were branded a whitewash by campaigners.
"Today will begin a journey which will be dedicated to getting to the truth […] and in delivering justice to everyone involved," May said.
Victims accuse the UK government of failing to take responsibility for what's been described as the worst treatment disaster in the history of Britain's public health care system.
Some 1,697 people have been appointed as core participants in the inquiry.
Over the next few days, an initial selection of 12 witnesses will be called to testify to the inquiry team.
"If the government truly wants to do the right thing, they will provide a statement accepting their liability now," said Jason Evans, whose father died in 1993 after receiving tainted blood.
The inquiry, which is being livestreamed, is expected to continue until mid-October.
Many different approaches to tackling HIV/AIDS in Africa
Because knowledge is power, this year’s theme for World Aids Day on December 1st is "Know your status." Awareness makes the fight against AIDS more effective. But not every African president has led by example.
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Deadly denialism
Former South African president Thabo Mbeki (1999 - 2008) went down in history as the foremost African denier of AIDS. Against all scientific evidence he maintained that HIV did not cause AIDS. He instructed his health officials to combat the disease with herbal remedies. Experts believe his denialism cost up to 300,000 lives. Some have called for Mbeki to be tried for crimes against humanity.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/G. Khan
A president as traditional healer
In 2007 former Gambian president Yahya Jammeh (1996 - 2017) forced AIDS patients to undergo a cure that he had personally developed. It turned out to be a concoction based on herbs; an unknown number of people died. Jammeh, who claimed that he had mystic powers, is the first African head of state to be tried for violating the rights of HIV-positive people.
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'Take a shower'
Another former South African head of state to make headlines for an unconventional take on AIDS was Jacob Zuma (2009 - 2018). After being charged with raping an HIV-positive woman in 2006, Zuma said he was not at risk of infection, despite not using a condom, because he had "taken a shower afterwards." In 2010 he disclosed the negative results of his AIDS test, to fight the stigma, he said.
Image: Reuters/N. Bothma
No condoms?
Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni took his time before joining the fight against the epidemic. As late as 2004, during an international AIDS conference in Thailand, he downplayed the effectiveness of condoms, alleging, among other things, that they ran counter to some African sexual practices. "We don’t think we can become universally condomised," he said. His remarks were met with laughter.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/I. Langsdon
A tax to fund treatment
Some action taken by African heads of state to fight the scourge did not go down well at home. A tax introduced in 1999 by Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe (1987-2017) to help orphans and sufferers met with resistance. It is still in place today. In 2004 Mugabe admitted that his own family had been affected by AIDS. He said the disease was "one of the greatest challenges facing our nation."
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/T. Mukwazhi
A shining example
Fear of economic repercussions affecting, for example, tourism, is one reason why African leaders have been reluctant to acknowledge the threat. But President Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia (1964-1991) announced as early as 1987 that one of his sons had died of AIDS. In 2002 he was the first African leader to take an AIDS test. He still fights against AIDS today.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/M. Mwape
Bid to make tests compulsory
The fight against AIDS by Kaunda’s successor Edgar Lungu met with some hitches when he tried to make AIDS-testing compulsory in Zambia. Lungu said in 2016 that the policy was non-negotiable. But a huge outcry in Zambia and abroad forced him to backpedal especially as the World Health Organization made clear that compulsion encourages the stigmatization of HIV-positive people.
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Championing an HIV-free Africa
After leaving office, Festus Mogae, former president of Botswana (1998-2008), launched Champions for an AIDS-Free Generation, which brings together a number of former African presidents and other influential personalities eager to help fight the scourge. They hope that their experience and influence will enable them to exert pressure on governments and partners to invest in AIDS prevention.
