Vets told biopsies may have brought viruses

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=430679

Thousands warned of slight risk from VA center prostate checks

More than 2,000 veterans who underwent prostate biopsies at Milwaukee's Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center may have been exposed to deadly viruses such as HIV, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs warned in a recent letter to those at risk.
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The department sent letters dated May 8 to 2,075 men who had prostate biopsies at the center between 1989 and 2003 cautioning them that the equipment used to perform the procedure may not have been properly sterilized. The letter encourages the veterans to return to the center for a free blood screening.

Department officials called the risk "very small" and said they have "no evidence that any patient who had a prostate biopsy . . . has acquired an infection."

"We want to do the right thing here," said spokesman Chris Houterman. "We want to allay concerns."

So far, 304 men have gotten blood tests in response to the letter and none has turned up positive for hepatitis C, hepatitis B or HIV, the three viruses being screened, Houterman said.
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sigh

all I can say.

we have to make the media stop telling people about things like this!

It hurts morale!

:sarcasm:

You know, this is a big reason people reject any move to govt having any control over health care. I don't quite know why people don't ask themselves why we accept such horrible care for our veterans, but somehow people just tsk tsk over vets and I guess believe they're just people who would have been economic failures anyway. Sometimes I wonder if there isn't some conspiracy in the vets administration to not give vets too good of health care so the people never get the idea that social health services really would work.

:mad: :grr: :nuke: :banghead: