Thousands of military vets are waiting to find out if they were exposed to infectious diseases by VA

-From Capveterans VA unsure of scope of patient contamination Bill Poovey, Associated Press Writer CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Thousands of military veterans across the South are waiting to find out if they were exposed to infectious diseases by government clinics that performed colonoscopies and other procedures with equipment that wasn't properly sterilized.

Veterans Affairs spokeswoman Katie Roberts said officials are working to determine if mistakes that may have exposed patients to infections at medical centers in Tennessee and Florida and a clinic in Georgia could have also happened at other VA facilities. "We don't know for certain," Roberts said. The VA recently warned some veterans who had colonoscopies as far back as five years ago at its hospitals in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and Miami that they may have been exposed to the body fluids of other patients and should undergo tests to make sure they haven't contracted serious illnesses. More...

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