2 Patients At VA Hospital In Connecticut May Have Also Been Exposed To Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

Connecticut Says 2 Hospital Patients May Have Also Been Exposed To Fatal Brain Disease

BOSTON, Sept 6 (Reuters) - The Connecticut Department of Public Health said on Friday that two patients who recently underwent surgery at the VA Hospital may have been exposed to a rare brain disease, adding to 13 people already reported at risk in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

The potential for exposure is believed to be the result of shared surgical instruments that were initially used on a now-deceased New Hampshire patient. The deceased patient is now believed to have had a sporadic form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a condition similar to "mad cow" disease but not linked to beef consumption. (Writing by Richard Valdmanis)

Popular in the Community

Close

HuffPost Shopping’s Best Finds

MORE IN LIFE