Disease Exposure Via Medical Devices a Growing Concern, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Says

Diabetic patients who may have been exposed to blood-borne diseases at a Madison-based clinic are now getting tested for hepatitis and HIV.A nurse who worked at the clinic for the past five years misused equipment to teach them to inject insulin and test their blood sugar levels, the clinic said. Meanwhile, federal officials said they have become increasingly concerned about the risks of transmitting blood-borne viruses when diabetics are assisted with testing their blood sugar levels and insulin injections, and equipment is unsafely reused with multiple patients, as occurred at Dean Clinic. Dean has about 60 locations in southern Wisconsin and is now re-educating staff on the proper use of the devices, though the clinic said only one nurse is accused of reusing equipment while training newly diagnosed patients to manage their own care.

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