Lawsuit alleges hundreds of patients at New England hospital exposed to HIV, hepatitis

Nearly 450 patients at a Massachusetts hospital were recently warned that they were potentially exposed to HIV and hepatitis, according to a class-action lawsuit filed in the state.

Massachusetts Superior Court records show Keches Law Group filed against Mass General Brigham, Salem Hospital and 10 hospital employees on behalf of Melinda Cashman, who the suit claims was exposed to the infections.

Cashman, of Amesbury, Massachusetts, is one of hundreds of endoscopy patients exposed to HIV or Hepatitis B or C between June 2021 and April 2023, according to an 8-page complaint filed Friday.

Endoscopy is a procedure that involves inserting a flexible tube with a light and camera into a person’s body allowing doctors to look inside the body to detect disease.

The suit, which cites negligence by the hospital and its employees, goes onto say Cashman suffered permanent injuries, anxiety, emotional distress, and decreased quality of life due to the reported exposure.

Hospital: Risk ‘extremely small’

But the infection risk “is extremely small,” the hospital told The Associated Press.

“The safety of our patients is our highest priority and we have undertaken multiple corrective actions in response to this event,” Salem Hospital released in a statement to the AP.

“We sincerely apologize to those who have been impacted and we remain committed to delivering high-quality, compassionate health care to our community.”

The hospital could not immediately be reached by USA TODAY.

‘A life-changing condition’

Cashman and hundreds of other patients “had to face the possibility of a life-changing condition because of the hospital’s carelessness,” Attorney Jonathan Sweet, with Keches Law Group, released in a statement on the firm’s website.

“Our client deserves to have someone take responsibility for years of negligence,” Sweet said. “We want victims of this tragedy to know that we are fighting for them and that the people who wronged them need to be held accountable.”

According to the statement, on Nov. 3, Cashman said she received a letter from Salem Hospital informing her “she may have been exposed to a virus.”

The lawsuit goes onto say Cashman also required additional testing after learning what happened when she was a patient during that time frame.

The suit seeks a jury trial.

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Hospital says so far no infections have been reported

As of late last week, no one had reported being infected from HIV or hepatitis, the hospital told the Associated Press.

All patients who were exposed have been notified, the outlet reported, and the hospital has set up a hotline to answer questions and providing free screenings.

“The infections we are testing for are Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and HIV, which are standard tests for a potential exposure of this kind,” a Mass General Brigham spokesman told the AP.

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What is HIV?

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus which, according to the Centers for Disease Control, weakens a person’s immune system by destroying cells that fight disease and infection. If left untreated, patients can develop AIDS, which causes a range of infections and sometimes death.

Once a person is diagnosed with HIV, it’s imperative they take medication as directed to stay healthy.

There is currently no cure for the virus, but with proper medical care, HIV can be controlled.

According to the CDC, during the first stage of HIV infection, people experience a flu-like illness within 2 to 4 weeks after infection. People in this stage have large amounts of the virus in their blood, and so are more likely to transmit the infection.

The second stage of the virus marks a period where it’s active but reproduces only at low levels, according to HIV.gov People in this stagedo not always experience symptoms, but can still transmit the virus to others. The third stage is AIDS.

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What is hepatitis B?

Hepatitis B, according to the CDC, can become a long-term, chronic infection. It’s transmitted when bodily fluid from an infected person enters the body of an uninfected person and can lead to life-threatening illness including liver cancer and cirrhosis, a permanent scarring of the liver that makes it difficult for the organ to function.

There is no cure, but according to the Hepatitis B Foundation − a national nonprofit organization working to finding a cure for the virus − vaccines can prevent the disease.

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What is hepatitis C

Hepatitis C usually develops into a chronic, long-term infection and and can also cause liver damage and liver cancer.

This type of hepatitis used to be spread primarily through blood transfusions and transplanted organs from infected donors, but screening begun in the early 1990s virtually eliminated that problem.

No vaccines have been developed to protect against hepatitis C, but according to the World Health Organization, it can be treated with antiviral medication.

“Around 30% of infected persons spontaneously clear the virus within 6 months of infection without any treatment,” WHO says.

The remaining 70% of people, WHO says, develop chronic HCV infection.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.