FDA issues warning on scopes after 'superbug' outbreak

Washington

THE US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday warned doctors and hospitals that a commonly used medical scope can be difficult to sanitise between uses and "may facilitate the spread of deadly bacteria".

The agency's warning came a day after news broke that seven patients had been infected by a drug-resistant "superbug" at UCLA's Ronald Reagan Medical Center since last fall. Two of the patients died, and public health authorities are tracking down almost 200 others who may have been exposed to the dangerous bacteria through the use of the contaminated medical scopes