Hospital may have infected 1800 with HIV

A Veterans' hospital in St. Louis, Missouri may have exposed more than 1800 dental care patients to life-threatening diseases including hepatitis and HIV.

The veterans, who received treatment at the St. Louis VA Medical Center, were mailed by the hospital's executive team after it was discovered dental equipment was not being properly sterilised between February 1, 2009, and March 10, 2010. The risk, described as "extremely low", resulted in the hospital offering serology testing for hepatitis B, C and HIV to 1,812 veterans. While the equipment was being sterilised by the hospital, the procedures used did not conform to manufacturer guidelines.