I AM writing to highlight the plight of those infected and affected by the contaminated blood disaster, and to ask for your readers’ help.

So far, over 2,000 people have died as a result of infections such as HIV and Hepatitis And it was recently reported that hundreds of haemophiliacs have also been exposed to vCJD, the human form of Mad Cow Disease.

On February 23, Lord Archer of Sandwell presented the report of his two-year-long inquiry into this tragedy.

In the report he makes several recommendations, including adequate patient representation, and proper compensation for victims and their dependents.

The campaign group TaintedBlood (www.tainted blood.info) has recently added a petition to the Prime Minister’s Number 10 petition website.

In less than a month the petition has gained 2,800 signatures and is currently in 48th place out of a total of 4,800 petitions.

It urges the Government to implement Lord Archer’s recommendations.

We believe it is imperative that the government acts swiftly and urgently to do this, as people are currently dying at the rate of more than one a month without having any answers as to how this was allowed to happen, and without knowing whether their families will be made financially secure in the future.

On one day alone, recently, there were two funerals, two widows and two grieving families, including seven children.

Please sign the on-line petition to help bring about justice for this group of people whom Lord Morris of Manchester once referred to as: ‘this stricken community’.

http://petitions.numbers10. gov.uk/contaminated/ IAN JONES, Brecon Road, Blackburn.