NATIONAL BRIEFING / FLORIDA
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A fifth patient has tested positive for HIV and seven more tested positive for hepatitis after being exposed to contaminated medical equipment at three Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals, the agency said.
That brings the total who have tested positive for hepatitis to 33.
They are among thousands tested because they were treated with endoscopic equipment that wasn’t properly sterilized between patients and exposed them to others’ body fluids.
Nearly 11,000 former sailors, soldiers, airmen and Marines could have been exposed at hospitals in Miami; Murfreesboro, Tenn.; and Augusta, Ga.
The new HIV case was found in the Miami hospital, a VA official said.
The agency said 6,687 patients have been notified of their test results.
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