Infection
Hundreds of Salem Hospital patients possibly exposed to HIV, Hepatitis B and C over the past two years, officials say
Nov
An estimated 450 patients at Salem Hospital may have been exposed to the HIV virus and two strains of the hepatitis virus when staff used a medically inferior process to deliver medication intravenously during endoscopic examinations, the hospital said.
In a statement Wednesday, the hospital said it had notified all potentially impacted patients and that there have been no reports of infections among them.
“We have determined that the infection risk to patients from this event is extremely small. Salem Hospital has notified all potentially impacted patients, set up a clinician-staffed hotline to answer questions, and we are providing them with free screening and any necessary support,” the hospital said. “There is no evidence to date of any infections resulting from this incident.”
The hospital, which is part of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, said the state Department of Public Health has reviewed its response to the issue and supports its resolution.
In a statement, the DPH said it “aware of this situation” and had performed an onsite investigation at the hospital. The agency said it had worked with Mass General Brigham’s “infection control team to manage the situation. The risk of possible infection was determined to be very low. The investigation has not identified evidence of infections resulting from these exposures to date.”
The hospital said that HIV and hepatitis B and hepatitis C were identified as the illnesses that patients could have contracted because they do not immediately generate symptoms.
The hospital said that earlier this year officials discovered “an isolated practice” by some staff was delivering ”intravenous medication in a manner not consistent with our best practice” to patients.
“Once identified, the practice was immediately corrected, and the hospital’s quality and infection control teams were notified,” the hospital said. “We sincerely apologize to those who have been impacted and we remain committed to delivering high-quality, compassionate health care to our community.”
On its website, DPH notes that HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus, “weakens a person’s immune system by destroying important cells that fight disease and infection. There is no cure for HIV, but with proper medical care, HIV can be controlled. There are effective strategies to keep from getting or transmitting HIV.”
Hepatitis B infects the liver.
“Most people who get the disease recover from it and can never get it again. However, about 10 percent of adults who get hepatitis B will go on to have chronic (long-term) infection and can pass it on to others (be a carrier),” according to DPH’s webpage. “When it is chronic, it can be a serious disease that can lead to cirrhosis (scarring of the liver) and/or liver cancer.”
Over time, hepatitis C can cause liver damage and death. “Without treatment most people with hepatitis C will have it forever and can pass it to others. Over time hepatitis C will cause liver damage and can cause cancer and death,” the DPH said. “While there is no vaccine to prevent hepatitis C, more than 95 percent of chronic infections can be cured with simple, well-tolerated oral treatments. Testing is the first step towards cure.”
John R. Ellement can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @JREbosglobe.
