Hundreds of Georgia hospital patients exposed to TB

Atlanta (CNN) -- Nearly 700 patients and 100 employees at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta have been exposed to tuberculosis after coming in contact with a hospital employee carrying the disease, a hospital spokesman said Thursday.

The Georgia Department of Community Health and the hospital have identified 680 patients who were exposed to tuberculosis between November and February, said hospital spokesman Lance Skelly.

Patients will begin getting tested for tuberculosis next week, Skelly said. To date, no patients or employees have reported symptoms of tuberculosis, he said.

The hospital and the department began notifying people about the exposure this month, after an Emory employee was diagnosed in April with the infectious disease, he said. The employee did not know he had tuberculosis when he came in contact with employees and patients, the hospital said.

The hospital took extra precautions by contacting patients who were in the hospital for 90 days before the day the employee is known to have developed the disease, Skelly said. "That is a major reason the numbers are so much higher."

All hospital employees are screened for the disease and must receive screenings each year, it added. A hospital statement did not say whether the employee had been screened.

About 11 million people in the United States are infected with latent tuberculosis, which is symptom-free and is not contagious.

Of those, 5 to 10 percent go on to develop active tuberculosis, which can be spread to others through the air, such as through coughing or sneezing. It can be fatal if not properly treated.

Symptoms of tuberculosis include chest pain, a bad cough (possibly with blood), weakness and a fever. While tuberculosis usually impacts the lungs, the kidneys, brain and spine may also be affected.

Both the number and rate of tuberculosis cases has been on the decline since 1993, according to the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The number of reported deaths nationwide dropped from 644 in 2006 to 544 in 2007, the most recent year for which such data is available, the CDC said.

CNN

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Australian doctor accused of infecting patients (AP)

SYDNEY – An Australian doctor was charged Friday with endangering his patients' lives after police alleged he infected nearly 50 women with hepatitis C at an abortion clinic.

James Latham Peters, 61, who worked as an anesthesiologist at the Melbourne clinic, was charged with 54 counts each of conduct endangering life, negligently causing serious injury and recklessly causing serious injury. The most serious charge carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

Peters was released on 250,000 Australian dollars ($267,000) bail when he appeared briefly in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday.

He was not required to enter pleas to the charges, which relate to 49 patients at the clinic who health officials say contracted the same strain of hepatitis C as Peters between 2008 and 2009.

Hepatitis C can cause serious liver problems, including cirrhosis and cancer. It is spread through the blood.

Police have not released details on how they believe the disease was transmitted. But Bram Alexander, a spokesman for the Victoria state Department of Health, said officials with the department closely investigated all the infection control procedures at the clinic and didn't find any problems with them.

"That's precisely why, back in early last year, we referred these matters to the police for further investigation — because our investigation could find no plausible reason as to why the infection took place," Alexander said.

Peters had his registration suspended in February 2010.

Under his bail conditions, Peters must not work in any medical- or health-related field and must not contact staff at a number of medical centers where he previously worked, including the abortion clinic. He was also required to surrender his passport.

Health officials tested more than 4,000 of Peters' patients during their investigation, and found 49 who were infected with a strain of the virus genetically linked to his.

Yahoo! News

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