VA: Thousands of veterans possibly exposed to HIV, hepatitis

VA: Thousands of veterans possibly exposed to HIV, hepatitis. In this
unrelated photo, Cpl. Josh Veigel of Littleton of the Colorado National
Guard receives intravenous fluid. (Photo CC: Colorado National Guard)

U.S. officials are taking steps to warn more than 10,000 patients treated at one of three Veterans Affairs facilities, who may have been accidentally exposed to infection, including HIV and hepatitis.

More than 10,000 former patients have received follow-up blood tests due of VA mistakes with equipment used in colonoscopies at Murfreesboro, Tenn., and Miami, and at the agency's ear, nose and throat clinic in Augusta, Ga. Results of a recent report show that 7,615 of those veterans have been notified of test results.

However, thousands of other vets, potentially exposed to less serious mistakes with the same equipment at more than a dozen other VA centers, are not being warned. Those cases did not carry an infection risk, and do not merit follow-up blood tests, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' chief patient safety officer, Dr. Jim Bagian (Bay-gin), who declined to identify those facilities. 

The report shows that as of Monday, five former patients at the three hospitals had tested positive for HIV and 34 had tested positive for hepatitis although it's not clear if the infections came from VA treatment.

Bagian told reporters that more than a dozen facilities agreed during nationwide safety review discussions that "We are not doing this exactly right." A systemic review showed that the Murfreesboro, Miami and Augusta facilities were only facilities with "any kind of appreciable risk" of exposing patients to infections.

That risk set in motion the ongoing process of warning and retesting potentially exposed patients. Bagian noted that VA plans to treat any former patients who test positive in follow-up blood checks. However, he said that tracing an infection to VA equipment was unlikely, partly due to the VA's lack of knowledge as to how long the mistakes continued.