A hospital in Massachusetts may have accidentally infected hundreds of patients with hepatitis and HIV.

About 450 patients at a Massachusetts hospital may have contracted hepatitis and HIV from improper intravenous drug injections and procedures over the past two years, hospital officials say. The publication told in more detail CNN.

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In a statement, Salem Hospital said the possible exposure affected patients who had an endoscopy, a procedure in which a doctor inserts a tube-like instrument into the body for examination. The medical institution did not provide more detailed information about how the infection could have occurred.

A hospital spokesman said management notified all patients who may have been exposed and tested people for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV, which is "the standard test for possible exposure of this nature."

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“To date, there is no evidence that any infections occurred as a result of this incident,” the hospital said in a statement. “We have concluded that the risk of infection to patients as a result of this incident is extremely low. We sincerely apologize to those affected."

The medical facility learned about the possible infection earlier this year and conducted free examinations and set up a hotline to answer questions.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is aware of the situation and considers the risk of possible infection to be very low.

The hospital was working with the state Department of Public Health "to resolve the situation."

“The ongoing investigation has revealed no evidence of contamination as a result of these procedures,” the department said in a statement.

Hepatitis B and hepatitis C are liver infections caused by a virus that can be spread by sharing needles, syringes and other injection equipment, or through sexual contact.

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In 2018, more than 3000 patients at the Saddle Brook, New Jersey, surgical center were at risk of exposure to blood-borne pathogens, including hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV. An investigation by the New Jersey Department of Health found that HealthPlus Surgery Center employees did not follow sterilization procedures and medical instruments were not properly cleaned.

And in 2008, an outbreak of acute hepatitis C was linked to an endoscopy center in Las Vegas, Nevada, according to a report from the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services. The investigation found that unsafe injection practices put patients at risk of infection.

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