Font Size

Health Alert

E-mail

Close Window E-mail This Page

16 Vet Patients Infected After VA Colonoscopy

Required fields are marked with an asterisk(*)

Recipient E-mail:*
- Your Name:*
- Your E-mail:*
Add a Message:
Send me a copy of this e-mail.

Type the characters in this picture:*

Click here to refresh with new letters

The information you provide will be used only to send the requested e-mail and will not be used to send any other e-mail communications. Read more in our Privacy Policy

Send E-mail

Print Share + Comments

Mar 27, 2009 2:30 pm US/Eastern

16 Vet Patients Infected After VA Colonoscopy

3,000 Veterans Possibly At Risk After Medical Procedure With Unsterilized Equipment

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) ―

Click to enlarge 1 of 1: Jupiter Images

Close

numSlides of totalImages

Veterans Affairs officials say 16 patients exposed to contaminated equipment at its medical facilities have tested positive for viral infections, including hepatitis.

VA spokeswoman Katie Roberts said Friday that 10 colonoscopy patients from the VA medical center in Murfreesboro, Tenn., tested positive for hepatitis. She said six patients from a VA clinic in Augusta, Ga., tested positive for unspecified viral infections.

The number of reported infections could rise. Roberts says the department doesn't yet have results from most of more than 10,000 veterans warned to get blood tests because they could have been exposed to contamination. Patients at a medical center in Miami also were urged to get tested.

All three sites failed to properly sterilize equipment between treatments.