Nearly 450 patients at a Salem hospital may have become infected with hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV due to poor practices when administering intravenous drugs, hospital officials said Wednesday.
A spokesman for Massachusetts General Brigham General, which owns Salem Hospital, said they first became aware of the issue earlier this year and said the practice has since been corrected. Potential exposure involves endoscopy patients over a period of approximately two years.
The hospital has worked with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to review the issue and said the risk of infection to patients is “minimal.”
The hospital said all affected patients have been notified and no infections have been reported to date.
“Patient safety is our top priority and we have taken multiple corrective actions in response to this incident. We sincerely apologize to those affected and we remain committed to providing high-quality, compassionate care to our community Health care,” the statement read.
Editor’s Note: Health officials initially said they were testing for hepatitis A, not hepatitis C. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are vaccines to prevent hepatitis A and hepatitis B, but there is no vaccine to prevent hepatitis C.