5,000 dental patients to get HIV tests

[Guest guest]

Well I had to post this and add *Is it just* me or does someone else see how wrong the entire first paragraph is? LOL Why are they testing for HIV if the person has Hep C? *Rare* Hep C? Who are they kidding? Am I just reading this wrong?

P

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

5,000 dental patients to get HIV tests

Jun 1 2006

By Hywel Trewyn, Daily Post

MORE than 5,000 patients of a North Wales dental health worker diagnosed with hepatitis C are being offered HIV tests.

Public health bosses were advised to provide tests for the potentially fatal virus following cleanliness and hygiene concerns.

The Gwynedd worker, who has not been named, stopped practising on October 3 after being diagnosed with rare infection hepatitis C.

Letters inviting patients for screenings at 47 special clinics started arriving yesterday. Health bosses have asked the Health-care Inspectorate Wales (HIW) to launch a separate and independent investigation to see if procedures were broken.

http://icnorthwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/regionalnews/tm_objectid=17159624 & method=full & siteid=50142 & headline=5-000-dental-patients-to-get-hiv-tests-name_page.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Same story........ written a little better ;-)

Patients screened in hepatitis scare

Jun 1 2006

Gareth , Western Mail

MORE than 5,000 patients of a health care worker are to be screened for HIV as well as hepatitis B and C.

It follows patient concerns about the standard of the health care worker's infection-control procedures.

The worker was diagnosed with hepatitis C last autumn and yesterday the National Public Health Service stressed the person had only that infection, although tests for the others would be offered.

The NPHS has checked the details of more than 5,000 patients and examined records going back up to 30 years in a bid to identify those who are to be offered screening.

The health worker was based in Gwynedd. Doctor Payne, regional director for the NPHS North Wales, said, "The contact programme is precautionary.

"The risk of a healthcare worker passing on the hepatitis C virus is very low indeed. It can only happen if the healthcare worker's blood gets into the patient's bloodstream

"We have no evidence to suggest that any individual has suffered ill health as a consequence of having care provided by the healthcare worker."

She added, "I do want to emphasise that the risk of patients getting hepatitis C, hepatitis B or HIV is very small indeed."

The NPHS has been working on the case since last year.

The member of staff concerned stopped working last October, when the NPHS was notified of their diagnosis.

Hepatitis C means swelling or inflammation of the liver. The virus is blood borne and is spread when blood of an infected person is spread into the bloodstream of another.

The infection affects different people in different ways, with many experiencing no symptoms at all while others experience extreme tiredness and can feel very unwell.

It is estimated that around 15-20% of infected people clear their infections naturally within the first six months of infection.

http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200wales/tm_objectid=17158188 & method=full & siteid=50082 & headline=5-000-patients-screened-in-hepatitis-scare-name_page.html