More infection control problems at the VA--not to mention a cover-up

My latest HND piece examines the current round of infection control breaches at certain Veterans Affairs medical facilities.

The glitches at the St. Louis VA are getting the attention at the moment, along with an announcement that 79 possible victims from breaches last year at a Miami facility were somehow not notified to come in for testing. But there is a bigger story that is being pretty effectively covered-up.

A series of much worse infection control breaches occurred at facilities in Mayagüez and San Juan, PR, only in these cases, the possible victims were never even notified. As identified by infection control expert Dr. Lawrence Muscarella, and originally reported by fearless Puerto Rican journo Jannette Rios...

These infection-control breaches are numerous and include the following:

• Failure to disinfect transvaginal ultrasound transducers after each use
• Improper cleaning of flexible laryngoscopes after each use
• Failure to leak-test flexible endoscopes
• The routine use of a damaged and misbranded flexible endoscope

Note that each of these breaches has been linked either directly to patient injury or, at the very least, poses an increased risk of transmission of such infectious agents as HIV and the hepatitis B and C viruses. More than that, there is the possibility of tuberculosis and even cervical and anogenital cancers.

Readers may not be aware that the VA medical system represents the purest example in the entire world of a government-controlled health care monopoly. The entire system was literally built from the ground up by the government. In European countries with completely socialized medicine, the infrastructure and most physical facilities were originally operated by others.

With the VA, however, even the original 54 facilities were part of the Public Health Service.

These massive infection control failures are a disgrace, and dishonor our brave warfighters. Worse, though, is that these debacles only portend the future for all of us under government-controlled health care.

Maybe that's why they are being covered up.