Four veterans test positive for Hepatitis
The Veteran’s Association confirmed that four veterans have tested positive for Hepatitis; two cases of Hepatitis C and two cases of Hepatitis B have been recorded.
The tests were conducted following the discovery of poor sterilisation procedures at the John Cochran Veteran’s Association Hospital in St Louis; more than 1,800 veterans were contacted and invited to attend blood tests. Investigations found that dental instruments were not being fully sterilised, increasing the risk of infectious diseases, including Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV.
At a congressional hearing on Friday, the Veteran’s Association reported four cases of Hepatitis; however, it is not known if the infection was contracted from the John Cochran facility.
The Veteran’s Association is still contacting veterans who have attended the clinic in St Louis; more than 1,500 people have now had blood tests and it has been reported that 13 have declined a test. The association is covering the costs of the blood tests and will pay for the care needed by those who have contracted infectious diseases as a result of being treated at the John Cochran facility.
Further tests will now be carried out on those patients who tested positive; experts will try and identify the source of the infection to determine whether or not the infection was contracted at the John Cochran centre.
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