Saturday, July 14, 2012

HIV fears after clinic uses dirty instruments

HIV fears after clinic uses dirty instruments


More than 270 people have been offered free tests for diseases like hepatitis and HIV. (ABC News)

Hundreds of people in Queensland face an anxious wait after a failure in sterilisation procedures at the trouble-prone Bundaberg Hospital earlier this month.

Queensland Health says 235 patients who were treated at the hospital's dental clinic last week may be at risk, because the instruments were previously used on 33 people and not cleaned properly.

Thirty-one of those 33 patients are now being tested for blood-borne viruses including HIV, hepatitis B and C.

Spokesman Dr Jeanette Young said it was an unfortunate mistake that could have happened at any hospital.

"I do apologise to those people, as I know all the staff involved in the clinic," she said.

"It is an anxious time for them. All I can try and do is reassure them. We do have staff ringing and explaining the whole situation."

The local opposition MP for Burnett, Rob Messenger, says the people affected are traumatised.

"Shattered and angry. I spoke personally with one mum. She has got young children and it is so difficult for her," he said.

"She doesn't know even whether to let the children kiss her."

Dr David Sowden, an infectious disease physician at the Sunshine Coast-Wide Bay Health Service, says the failure in sterilisation procedures happened on November 6, but it took a week before anyone noticed.

"When the instruments are cleaned, they are packaged and they are put into a steriliser to go through the process and there is an indicator on those packages that tells you whether the sterilisation process has occurred and whether it has been successful," he said.

"So on this occasion we haven't got all the details and this is being looked at, but it would appear that the instruments were put in the steriliser but the process just didn't occur and then they were taken out without that happening."

Serious consequences

Dr Sowden says under normal circumstances somebody should have noticed the right boxes were not ticked and that will be part of the investigation into the incident.

Health authorities warn the consequences could be extremely serious. But Dr Sowden says the risk is low.

"We think the risk is very low. We are concerned mainly about the blood borne viruses - HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C," he said.

"One of the things that we are undertaking is looking at the initial group of people who the instruments were used on in the first instance and testing them first.

"And if all of that group test negative for those particular things that we are concerned about then I would be confident that the risk will be very close to zero."

President of Queensland's branch of the Australian Dental Association, Dr Greg Moore, says health services are expected to meet certain standards.

"Every place that provides any sort of treatment that requires sterile instruments is required to uphold certain standards," he said.

"It doesn't matter whether it is a hospital-based or an office-based practice.

"It is certainly regrettable. There is certain element of danger."

'Frightening' situation

In a statement issued to the ABC, Queensland Health Minister Paul Lucas says the mistake should not have occurred and the situation has put patients under unnecessary stress.

Opposition health spokesman Mark McArdle says it is incomprehensible another health problem has occurred at Bundaberg hospital.

Mr McArdle says lives have been put at risk and the situation is frightening.

"We are now heading towards what should be a happy time - Christmas - but these people will have to wait weeks and months to see if they are clear from these very, very dangerous diseases," he said.

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