Two VA dental clinic patients test positive for hepatitis B
http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/two-va-dental-clinic-patients-test-positive-for-hepatitis-b-1127009.htmlBy Ben Sutherly, Staff Writer
4:08 PM Monday, April 4, 2011
DAYTON — A Dayton VA Medical Center spokesman on Monday confirmed that two dental clinic patients who initially tested newly positive for hepatitis B actually have the disease.
VA officials remain unsure if the two patients contracted the disease at the Dayton VA’s dental clinic, where a dentist failed to follow proper infection control protocols, potentially exposing more than 500 patients to bloodborne pathogens between January 1992 and July 2010. Epidemiological testing may or may not be able to determine whether the dental clinic was the infection’s source, and that testing could take months.
The two patients have been notified, VA spokesman Todd Sledge said.
Three other dental clinic patients tested newly positive for hepatitis C, but the VA is still trying to determine if those cases may have been false positives. It’s also possible those three patients have the virus but it’s currently inactive, Sledge said.
Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver. Hepatitis B is a form of viral hepatitis caused by a DNA virus that often persists in the blood serum and can cause chronic liver damage. Hepatitis C is a form of viral hepatitis that is caused by an RNA virus.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7457 or bsutherly@DaytonDailyNews.com.
This is no joke and we should be alarmed by this incident. Its always advisable to know your dentist well. Know their experience and expertise on this field for your own safety. Try to observe also the clinic, look at your surroundings, be sure it is clean and they are following all protocols
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