179 Possibly Exposed to Superbug at UCLA

More than 100 patients may have been exposed to a drug-resistant superbug virus known as CRE at UCLA’s Ronald Reagan Medical Center via “contaminated medical scopes,” according to the Los Angeles Times. Seven UCLA patients have already been infected and two deaths are possibly linked to the superbug. Those exposed were treated between October 2014 and January 2015, university officials say. The superbug may have been spread through a special endoscope that is stuck down patients’ throats. It is different from the ones used in typical endoscopies and colonoscopies. UCLA officials said they have reached out to some patients who may have been exposed. CRE can kill 40 to 50 percent of cases if the infection reaches a person’s bloodstream.