3 HIV Cases Tied To VA Clinic Mistakes

Department of Veterans Affairs Says Patients Exposed To Contaminated Medical Equipment

(AP)  Three patients exposed to contaminated medical equipment at Veterans Affairs hospitals have tested positive for HIV, the agency said Friday.

Initial tests show one patient each from VA medical facilities in Murfreesboro, Tenn.; Augusta, Ga.; and Miami has the virus that causes AIDS, according to a VA statement.

The three cases included one positive HIV test reported earlier this month, but the VA didn't identify the facility involved at the time.

The patients are among more than 10,000 getting tested because they were treated with endoscopic equipment that wasn't properly sterilized and exposed them to other people's body fluids.

Vietnam veteran Samuel Mendes, 60, said he was surprised to learn of an HIV case linked to the Miami facility, where he had a colonoscopy. He was told he wasn't among those at risk.

"I was hoping and expecting to not get anyone contaminated like that," he said. "It's probably a little worse than we thought."

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.

There's no way to prove patients were exposed to the viruses at its facilities, the agency said.

"These are not necessarily linked to any endoscopy issues and the evaluation continues," the statement said.

The VA has said it does not yet know if veterans treated with the same kind of equipment at its other 150 hospitals may have been exposed to the same mistake before the department had a nationwide safety training campaign.

An agency spokeswoman has said the mistake with the equipment was corrected nationwide by the time the campaign ended March 14. The problems discovered in December date back more than five years at the Murfreesboro and Miami hospitals.

The VA's disclosure Friday was the department's first comment since April 3, when the VA reported the one positive HIV test.

VA spokeswoman Katie Roberts has declined to provide any details on how widespread the problems might have been other than saying a review of the situation continues.

She said in an e-mail Friday that "there is a very small risk of harm to patients from the procedures at each site." She said the HIV results "still need to be verified" in additional tests.

The VA statement shows the number of "potentially affected" patients totals 10,797, including 6,387 who had colonoscopies at Murfreesboro, 3,341 who had colonoscopies at Miami and 1,069 who were treated at the ear, nose and throat clinic at Augusta.

More than 5,400 patients, about half of those at risk, have been notified of their follow-up test results, the VA said.

The Friday statement said the VA is "continuing to notify individuals whose letters have been returned as undeliverable, and working with homeless coordinators to reach veterans with no known home address."

The statement also said the VA has assigned more than 100 employees at the three locations to "ensure that affected veterans receive prompt testing and appropriate counseling."

All three sites used endoscopic equipment made by Olympus American Inc., which has said in a statement it is helping the VA address problems with "inadvertently neglecting to appropriately reprocess a specific auxiliary water tube."

Charles Rollins, 62, who served three tours in Vietnam with the Navy from 1966 to 1969, said the news concerns him because he's used the Augusta ear, nose and throat clinic several times.

"That's terrible," he said by phone as he socialized at an American Legion post in Augusta.

[avigil2]

It's too late for the people who have already been infected. What about these people who are going to die because of some lazy people not doing their job for whatever reason. Posted by averjane

While I won't diminish the seriousness of this issue, those newly infected will not die of any AIDS related causes. They will mostly die of old age. There are advanced HIV medications that will prolong an infected person's life. And they can still lead a healthy lifestyle as long as they take care of themselves physically, mentally, and for most spiritually.

[averjane]

How can you so easily dismiss this awful treatment of our veterans by saying I hope it gets better for them with a new head of VA or maximize efforts to find results. It's too late for the people who have already been infected. What about these people who are going to die because of some lazy people not doing their job for whatever reason. All medical equipment should be sterile. The people in charge of this should imagine while their overseeing this job that what if it were them whose life depended on how well they do their job. It should have top priority. These poor men and women who survived war came home only to die as a result of someone's negligence or worse, someone's hidden agendas of cutting cost or knowingly allowing people to die to get rid of these people. They have served their purpose and have become a burden to the government. Many times we go to war for the whims of the government. They owe our people a secure life after they've sacrificed their lives this way. War should be declared as a defense to our nation and to help others who need intervention against monsters like socialist or dictator tyranny and bullying. No matter the reason, it's appalling how we treat our own people while at the same time sending money to other countries for their people and opening up our borders to communists and the like. The government needs to ensure that these men and women will get their needs met as a result of the atrocities the government run VA hospitals have inflicted upon them. Instead we bend over to appease other nations with money that should be used for our needs.

[Dgunner]

Doctor please make sure your equiptment is sterile. There are too many lives at stake here . Too many you say and who might that be? Well mine and of course yours if you infect me?

[renojmc]

This is what we can expect to become commonplace if we move to socialized medicine. The government has no business being in medicine!

[beach671]

The purpose of Veterans Affairs was to take care of our veterans with Service connected injuries. In 1986 they started offering care for non-service related injuries under the auspices of "they will be able to bill 3rd party insurance and make money". For years they claimed they were making BILLIONS by billing veterans for care that was not for service connected injuries. They did this for votes. Meanwhile they never did run profitable and make money and this was all a sham. They've screwed over Veterans with service connected injuries and turned into a welfare healthcare to garner votes.

There is no reason they should be offering flu shots free of charge for veterans. That is not a service connected need. There is no reason the VA should be allowing all their employees to eat for free in Hospital cafeterias. Money meant for service connected injured veterans is being used to make turds.

There is no reason for all of these PTSD claims. I've been in and seen many car accidents where people die. I've seen traumatic things. It's a part of life and living creatures experience seeing death. Should someone get compensated because they saw someone die? No. A good portion of America has watched or seen someone die in a traumatic way. PTSD is another sham.

The San Franisco VA hospital is a regional surgical center serving half the United States and all the veterans from Hawaii and the Pacific Islands for surgical needs. I went in for surgery there, and the head of the surgical center was screaming he can't get funds for the things he needs. I wasn't sure if I should have been operated on but had no choice, I was broken and took the risk. They should not be lacking funds for surgical needs and be forced to take risks of operating without everything they need. Why are they unfunded?

Because the VA has turned into a welfare system and they forgot their core purpose...fixing Americas veterans that were broken while in the military. Why did Obama give $198 million to the Phillipines in the Stimulus bill for WWII Phillipino veterans? They are not Americans. They've been compensated already enough. Yet they have VA hospitals in the Phillipines that are better than the ones on American soil and definitely better than the cubicle clinic on Guam. It's public knowledge you can go to the Phillipines and get rated HIGHER for a disability than in a VA Clinic on American soil. The Phillipines figured out a way to get money out of the US Treasury for their countries people. It's sick.

As long as Veterans Affairs remains a welfare entity who's sole purpose is no longer to fix America's veterans with service connected injuries....there is no fixing it.

It's shameful what Congress has done to Veterans Affairs and America's Veterans with service connected injuries. They've turned it into a welfare entity that's lost is sole purpose.

It would be an eye opener to find out how much money the VA has lost when it started approving ARM mortgages for Veterans that couldn't afford the homes which resulted in the VA Home Certificate to be collected by the Bank which has a $36,000 face value. That was another shame on Veterans Affairs. I wonder how much that stupid idea cost them?

The contractor that was selling VA repo'd homes under that program oddly was fired and I'm curious what was going on for that contractor to get fired/terminated contract. What were they doing with the homes that got them to lose their contract? There's a story to research.

[August251968]

VA is a Joke the same as the people who screen President OBama's e-mail!
No two VA Hospitals or Clinics operate under the same set or law as set forth by law.
I am a 60 year old disabled Veteran who served from 11/66-7/75. I helped Bury LBJ the President who was responsible for sending me to RVN in FEB. 1973 ON HIS ranch in Johnson City Texas (Operation "OPLAN" Texas. Six months later I was injured on duty lost my jaw bones with teeth attached, attempted since 1975 to get help from VA REFUSED! After donating to DAV in OHIO for Years where we lived in Indiana they refused to file a claim on my behalf, Indiana was put on notice by VA along with Illinois, and Ohio for substandard VA Care, which accomplished nothing. I joined the VVA my local VSO stated he would not file my claim, even has the VVA Region 4 Commander convinced it is bogus. (I have his comments on tape) I also have all of the documentation, Names of people involved including my Battalion Commander who came to Darnell Army Hospital immediately after IU was injured. In RVN I was injured so many times it is not funny but kept doing the job I enlisted to do, Defend and support the Constitution of the United States of America.
I have a Great VA Doctor here in Kansas; have been disabled for 3 years under SSDI from the affects of Agent Orange. But the Wichita VA refuses to give me my pain medication that I have been on for 5 years, never abused, been seen by countless Doctors be for trying to get help from VA, even e-mail our current Commander-in-Chief to no avail. I am suffering from withdrawals have no Medicare part D should not need it but some no nothing Pharmacist is playing with my life. You just do not stop taking Oxycodone XL after taking it for 5 years after the Fentadyl Patch puts you into anaphylactic shock, Morphine because of Migraines, and I can tolerate Methadone for break through pain as long as I take Tylenol prior to prevent severe headaches. No Body CARES about the Veterans of this country, a President who would have private insurance companies bear the cost of treatment for returning IRAQ Vets.
When are this country and the people herein going to wake up? You got you wish so your kiddies do not have to serve their country with the draft eliminated, NO ONE THE PRESIDENT, VA, OUR "VETERANS SERVICE ORGANAZATIONS SEEM TO GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THE VETERANS WHO SERVED WITH HONOR, DECORATION AND DISTINTION.
So why should the American Veteran give a damn if the terrorists knock down, blow up, behead another citizen of this country. We have 1 person a Captain captured by pirates when he knows the danger, and we send an American Destroyer at the cost of Millions a day, but we refuse appropriate treatment to our Vets! Shame you Mr. President, VA, People of these United States and the News Media, CBS< FOX< TNN< ESPN<NBC<ABC, Postal Inspectors, FBI, CIA, Homeland Security and everyone who I have failed to proffer an accolade for the fine job that you have performed for me and countless thousands of others who believed in the oath they took and who are dying faster than any other group of human beings short of the ice age, on their behalf I would like to thank you because soon our bodies will turn to dust as have our brothers who served and gave their lives in RVN, Laos, and Cambodia. I guess they were the lucky ones their suffering was short. As to my user name Google it and find my friend and Comrade William "Billy" Seay Medal of Honor Recipient, I was also in the 62nd that Day where the incompetence of a General in Chu-Chi could have saved a lot of us from living a life of Hell.
Sign Me
Pussycat 62nd Trans Co. RVN 11/67-11/68

[stn_sage]

YIKES! I got a huge lump in my throat reading this article!

After all our veterans have done ---and continue to do---for this country, they shouldn't have
to worry about contracting illnesses from VA hospitals when they enter for exams and
treatments!

However, I do hope that under the new head of the VA, that maximum effort will be made
to correct existing problems! It's a big task, but it can be accomplished, if they really want
it to be!

[erb0087]

Samuel Goldwyn once said "a hosptal is no place to be if you're sick."

It's no laughing matter.

Medical "mistakes" take an estimated 98,000 American lives every year.

[rsamuels67]

I am amazed how we will blame someone who has nothing to do with this problem. It is the president problem now, but it?s been the VA problem for decades. The VA is swamped, their attitude need plenty of work. My uncle went to the VA for a checkup and waited like everyone else six to eight hours. Then he ended up getting sick with the flu that turned to pneumonia and died a few weeks later. This was back in the eighties, so do you blame President Obama for that. It easy to say Socialized medicine, because someone is saying makes your money, but we need better rules to protect our way of life.
I served my country for twenty plus years and will not use the VA.

[chadb19]

This is one of the reasons I got out the military...because at the end of the day...most people dont give a S#%t what you did overseas nor do they care about any long term care you may need. Screw that!....Im not putting my life on the line anymore for those ungrateful people.

[chad55555]

That is reason not to go to a hospital for treatment. EVERYTIME I go to the VA it scares the hell out of me. Your not treated like a human,your made to sit there for hours,waited 8 hours once to see a doctor to find out he/she never showed up for work that day. They don't open up new injection devices in front of you so you can see there new,just on the tray when you walk into the room,as for as having my colon checked,I would rather take my chances with cancer. My last eye check up took 7 hours(6 hours waiting).VA people are rude and show lack of concern for your health,they treat you as if they don't want you to come back to the VA and hope you don't come back and bother them. I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY THIS HAPPENED. YOU FIGHT FOR YOUR COUNTRY COME HOME AND GET AIDS BECAUSE THE VA DON'T CARE IF YOU LIVE OR DIE AND HOPE YOU DIE TO SAVE MONEY FOR THEIR PET PROJECTS.

[rwsmith29456]

From a respected, civil, and modern country to a third-world joke country in a few years time.

[FHMullane]

Let's not blame Obama for this. You people need your heads examined

[jonesjep]

In the Obama Socialized Medical System there will be no recourse for mistakes. Who are you going to sue....the Federal Government?? Good luck!

[skeezix06]

Sounds like the basis of a big fat lawsuit to me. ...Oh wait. Republicans consider all lawsuits frivolous, don't they.

[jonesjep]

Terrible for these people. This is Socialized medicine run by the government at its finest. This is the future of our healthcare system.

[gandalf4747]

the VA at Northampton, MA has veterans with HIV, AIDS and Hep C

[barbaraf4]

This sounds like a Bush Plan to get rid of the injured troops. Simply kill them off.

Although I am unable to comprehend how it will come to pass, there must be a doozy of a punishment waiting out there for Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld.

[John_Merritt]

I read these statements and it is real scary knowing that some of you are actually able to function as humans with all the hate mongering you espouse on the internet. Please people, get a grip. Instead of being venomous in your thoughts and speech how bout doing something positive for your community. We do not need any more hate than we have right now in this country.

Let's see if we can change things. But first, we need to change ourselves from within. I will say a pray for you guys, if you will say one for me. A positive one that we all can draw strength from and help steer this country in the right direction. Have a good weekend.

[maxium6]

Amen, Amen, Amen!!!!! The legacy of the self-righteous right shall plague this country for many years to come, and as a resident of Texas, this place is getting scary, with an a hole like Rick Perry.