It was "regrettable" that the government said there was "no conclusive proof" AIDS could be transmitted by blood products in 1983, a public inquiry has heard.
Giving evidence, former secretary of state Lord Fowler said it would have been better to add that it was likely NHS treatment could be contaminated. But he said he didn't think the change would have made a crucial difference.
Survivors have accused ministers of playing down the risks at the time.
It's thought around 3,000 haemophiliacs died of AIDS and hepatitis C after being treated with a blood-clotting product called Factor VIII in the 1970s and 1980s.
Groups representing families of those affected by the scandal claim the use of the phase "no conclusive proof" minimised the danger from blood products at the time.
Source: BBC News, 22 September 2021
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