Second Colon Patient At Miami VA Hospital Has HIV

Officials confirmed Friday another patient who may have been operated on with dirty equipment in a Miami hospital has the deadly virus

VA officials confirmed Friday a second colon patient at a Miami VA hospital has contracted HIV.

Patients who received colonoscopies at the Miami Veteran Affairs hospital should go get tested for other diseases ASAP.

Officials for the hospital have said doctors used dirty equipment that may have exposed patients to the deadly HIV virus.

Patients in Tennessee and Georgia have also been infected with HIV after having colonoscopies at VA hospitals. Officials won't confirm the patients received the disease from the dirty equipment.

The patients are among thousands getting blood tests because they were treated with endoscopic equipment that wasn't properly sterilized and exposed them to the body fluids of others.

The VA also said there have been six positive tests for the hepatitis B virus and 19 positive tests for hepatitis C at the three locations. Officials had been mum about the location of patients who had been infected with HIV until today.

About 4,200 patients are believe to have undergone the procedure at the Miami hospital and many have been contacted and asked to get tested.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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