More Than 10,000 Vets Warned To Get Blood Tests

[halos2]

OK we are all aware of the dirty instrument contamination with the colonscopies at Murfreesboro, Tn, and in Miami but now the endoscopic equipment in question was also used at an ear, nose, and throat facility in Augusta, Ga. All three sites failed to properly sterilize the equipment between treatments. The VA has said it does not know if veterans who were treated with the same kind of equipment at its other 150 hospitals may have been exposed to the same mistake.

The Veterans Affairs Department is investigating whether there is a link between a VA patients positive HIV test and the unsterilized equipment that might have exposed thousands of veterans to infectious diseases.( This HIV has been referenced 2 days ago) Do you know how many vets really could have had their health compromised?? No excuse here, there are some sick bas*ards out there who are too lazy to make sure the equiptment is clean and STERILIZED. How about we let them have the contaminated equipment used on them,or how would they feel if it were used on their family! Never happen! When it comes to the vets, we are treated as second class citizens. I get further and more appauled at this disgrace when it come to vets treatments.

Dr Oz said more patients die of medical errors/hospital errors/contamination infections than diseases each year. Pitiful. Just pitiful.

[TiredVeteran]

Halos2,

Is there someone we can contact to see if the VA can be forced to list all hospitals involved, time frames of risk, number of possible veterans/spouses exposed?? I don't know that any one has mentioned the Mountain Home VAMC in TN doing this testing but it is real.

Debbie

[halos2]

Debbie,

I read alot of my information from some posts I receive daily ie. www.vawatchdog.org , our troops newsletter, veterans today network, military network, flwacvet, veterans issues per col dan, on yahoo too, also check hadit a few times a day and some others too. BYT I started to write this message at 3am and saw where I didn't send it, so now I am. Have not found particular cases at certain facilities actual confirmed numbers. Will search. The va will not let vets know how many, where, nor the public know the extent of this contamination process. Cover-up I think has remained their motto.

Hope you can keep up with all the news and rule information. Remember wash your hands alot...the flu is out there and spreading...buy hand sanitizers too, if you can find any. Tell others to wash their hands after touching anything...prevention is the best measure. Have a better day today than yesterday. ;)

Halos2,

Is there someone we can contact to see if the VA can be forced to list all hospitals involved, time frames of risk, number of possible veterans/spouses exposed?? I don't know that any one has mentioned the Mountain Home VAMC in TN doing this testing but it is real.

Debbie

[halos2]

Numbers are continuing to rise. 25 with Hep C 8 with Hep B and 5 with HIV. that makes 38+ so far. Special CaRE Call Cener available 24 hrs daily 7 days a week if you have questions. 1-877-575-7256 and the email inquiry is Endoscopy Inquiry and you have to tell why you are inquiring and/or if you are with the press. (not sure if it is via IRIS or VA.gov, as story did not specify.)

There have been over 15,586 hotmail calls as of 27Apr09.

OK we are all aware of the dirty instrument contamination with the colonscopies at Murfreesboro, Tn, and in Miami but now the endoscopic equipment in question was also used at an ear, nose, and throat facility in Augusta, Ga. All three sites failed to properly sterilize the equipment between treatments. The VA has said it does not know if veterans who were treated with the same kind of equipment at its other 150 hospitals may have been exposed to the same mistake.

The Veterans Affairs Department is investigating whether there is a link between a VA patients positive HIV test and the unsterilized equipment that might have exposed thousands of veterans to infectious diseases.( This HIV has been referenced 2 days ago) Do you know how many vets really could have had their health compromised?? No excuse here, there are some sick bas*ards out there who are too lazy to make sure the equiptment is clean and STERILIZED. How about we let them have the contaminated equipment used on them,or how would they feel if it were used on their family! Never happen! When it comes to the vets, we are treated as second class citizens. I get further and more appauled at this disgrace when it come to vets treatments.

Dr Oz said more patients die of medical errors/hospital errors/contamination infections than diseases each year. Pitiful. Just pitiful.

[TiredVeteran]

Debbie,

I read alot of my information from some posts I receive daily ie. www.vawatchdog.org , our troops newsletter, veterans today network, military network, flwacvet, veterans issues per col dan, on yahoo too, also check hadit a few times a day and some others too. BYT I started to write this message at 3am and saw where I didn't send it, so now I am. Have not found particular cases at certain facilities actual confirmed numbers. Will search. The va will not let vets know how many, where, nor the public know the extent of this contamination process. Cover-up I think has remained their motto.

Hope you can keep up with all the news and rule information. Remember wash your hands alot...the flu is out there and spreading...buy hand sanitizers too, if you can find any. Tell others to wash their hands after touching anything...prevention is the best measure. Have a better day today than yesterday. ;)

Hi,

Thank you for all the sources! One of the sources did send me a link to the VA page under the Public and Intergovermental Affairs tab that gives a list of all hospitals, number exposed, number tested, etc.

About being careful with the flu, thank you and yes I am. Showing my age here , back in 1976, I had the swine flu vaccine. Got home, and turned on the news. The vaccine had been stopped!

Debbie

[gp747]

well i have hepatitis c and i had a colonoscipy before i found out i had hep c. i have claimed for compensation in the past as far as air gun ejections go and been denied.

now i am wondering if the conoloscipy and endonocopy exams i have had through the years is not the reason i have hep c.

i am also scared ,when i found out i had hep c i immediately had hiv test done and came back negative.

however this test was done several years ago and since then i have had many endoscopy and colonoscopy exams at the va.

i am going to get on the ball and get tested again and find out the dates i had gastro work done and the date i found out i had hep c.

damn this scares the hell out of me.

i have one thing to be thankful for after i found out i had hep c my wife and i practice safe sex ,so if i aquired hiv through these exams she should be safe .

wow ,what a bummer!!!!!!!

however i want everyone to know before i do anything at the va hosp. i always warn them i have hep. c to keep other people safe. i have warned every one who has taken blood or about to do an exam on me.

Edited May 2, 2009 by skunk

[gp747]

i would like to express my opinion as far as the use of the instruments and the use of fleet that is daminging kidneys and people getting hep c and hiv from the instruments on who's responsible.

the va hosp i go to in memphis is a very good hospital and all the years i have been going there i have never seen any irresponsible behavior and they seem always to be very professional and caring.

and i am sure they were given guide lines on cleaning the instruments and probably carried the guidelines out to a t.

as far as the fleet goes the manufactorer and whoever approved it should take resposibility

i just cannot visualize my va in memphis as being irresponsible unless proven otherwise.

it is the best va hospital in my opinion.