U.S. Senate hears VA hospital HIV nightmare! - West Palm Beach Medical Malpractice Lawyer

West Palm Beach, FL–Officials with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) http://www.va.gov will appear before a Congressional subcommittee in the House of Representatives on Tuesday to discuss the exposure of over 10,000 veterans to HIV and other infectious diseases. As reported by the Miami Herald, more the 10,000 of our nation’s military veterans were exposed to possibly infectious body fluids while undergoing endoscopic procedures at three different VA hospitals in the Southeast.
Agency officials with the Veterans Administration will answer to serious endoscopic equipment cleaning and sterilization mistakes which affected more than 10,000 veterans at hospitals in Miami, Floirda; Murfreesboro, Tennessee; and Augusta, Georgia. In February 2009, hospital officials began sending letters to thousands of patients, who may have been exposed to HIV and Hepatitis infected endoscopy equipment, urging they receive prompt testing for HIV, Hepatitis C, and Hepatitis B infections. As of last Friday, June, 12, 2009, government officials with the VA reported six veterans tested positive for HIV. The government’s report also indicated 13 positive Hepatitis B infections and 34 positive Hepatitis C infections in patients who were exposed to the infected equipment.
HIV and Hepatitis are viral infections with no known cure and routinely lead to death in infected patients. These viral infections are known to spread through infectious body fluids. The medical malpractice of the doctors, nurses, and health care professionals, at the VA hospitals regarding the tainted medical equipment, will be discussed before the congressional panel. Agencies like the Occupational and Health Administration (OSHA) www.osha.gov has strict federal and state guidelines on the handling, cleaning, and sterilization of re-useable medical equipment like devices used in endoscopy procedures.