Thread: V.A.Hospital in Massachusetts, Others Investigating TB Expos

Jun 16, 2005

Veterans Affairs Hospital in Massachusetts, Others Investigating TB Exposure
By Greg Sukiennik
Associated Press Writer


BOSTON (AP) - A Veterans Affairs hospital is asking hundreds of patients and staff to be tested for tuberculosis after learning a worker was diagnosed with the disease.

Sixx says: Illegals work at the V.A. in Dallas

Dr. Michael Charness, chief of staff at the West Roxbury VA hospital, said Wednesday night the hospital, after consulting with the Boston Public Health Commission, is "casting a wide net" in asking more than 200 staff and more than 700 patients to be tested.

However, few workers and patients are expected to become infected.

A spokesman for Democratic Massachusetts Rep. Stephen Lynch said he learned Wednesday from the House Veterans Affairs Committee that the worker was a female surgical intern who also had worked at Cape Cod Hospital, Boston Medical Center and Brockton Hospital.

Sixx says: If someone having surgery was exposed to the intern, and by that I mean if she had her hands in their guts, there is going to be hades to pay

Rich Copp, a spokesman for Brockton Hospital, said the worker was at the hospital about six months ago, and the hospital was in the process of assessing who should be tested.

Cape Cod Hospital said the intern had worked at the hospital in January. Spokesman David Riley said the hospital was working to identify who should be tested, and to determine if she was tested when employed there.

He said the worker learned about the tuberculosis diagnosis Tuesday.

Boston Medical Center did not immediately have a comment Wednesday night.

Worlwide, tuberculosis kills about 2 million people a year. Antibiotics can cure tuberculosis but treatment involves a regimen of up to four different drugs administered for six months. Many strains of tuberculosis also have become resistant to the available drugs.

Sixx says: All together now: MRSA
AP-ES-06-16-05 0412EDT

This story can be found at: http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBGPNSP0AE.html

Discovered the story was already posted. So I deleted my thread and added the article here.


http://wbz1030.com/apnational/Tuberculo ... _news_html


TB testing at Mass. hospitals begins, investigation continues in case of ill doctor
Friday June 17, 2005
By LOLITA C. BALDOR
Associated Press Writer
Boston health care officials on Friday began screening workers and patients for tuberculosis as they investigated how a doctor in surgical training continued working in four area hospitals with the disease.

Hospital officials are contacting patients who came in direct contact with the woman and requiring testing for employees who had close contact while the woman worked at Boston Medical Center, the Veterans Affairs hospital's West Roxbury campus, Brockton Hospital and Cape Cod Hospital.

Authorities said Thursday that the surgical resident was contagious for six months and may have exposed more than 2,000 patients at the hospitals. Officials said, however, the risk of transmission to patients and employees was low.

Dr. Michael Charness, chief of staff at the VA Boston Health Care System, said the health care facilities are reviewing their procedures to ensure this doesn't happen again.

``As this is analyzed by each institution, we recognize that there are aspects to our surveillance and tracking that could be improved,'' he said. ``We will tighten up our systems.''

According to a memo prepared by the Department of Veterans Affairs for members of Congress, the surgical resident contracted TB sometime between June 2003 and June 2004.

After a positive skin test, she was referred to the Boston Public Health TB clinic by Boston Medical Center, but never showed up for her July 2004 appointment for a chest X-ray.

The memo said she first showed symptoms in January, but it is not clear whether she revealed the earlier skin test. Other tests were negative, so she was treated for pneumonia.

The resident then developed a cough and other symptoms in mid-May, and a chest X-ray on June 2 and additional tests revealed infectious TB. No information on how she contracted the disease has been released.

Tuberculosis is a disease caused by bacteria that usually attacks the lungs and can cause weakness, weight loss, fever and night sweats. Health authorities have said the risk of anyone being infected is low.