Some 1,250 children in Seattle and Vashon Island may have been contaminated with potentially lethal viruses because the dental equipment used on them was not properly sterilized.
No one at Neighborcare Health would talk on camera.
In a statement, the agency described the tools as dental handpieces used to clean or put fillings in teeth. Neighborcare says the handpieces in question were disinfected with CaviCide, which is supposed to kill viruses such as HIV and hepatitis B and C. But the equipment did not undergo the more extensive autoclave/heat sterilization, which is required.
That mistake exposed nearly 1,300 students at 10 Seattle schools, including Bailey Gatzert and Beacon Hill International and two schools on Vashon Island, to the potentially deadly viruses.
Several parents of children served by the Neighborcare clinic said they had not heard about the mistake until a news crew told them about it.
Neighborcare said it is offering free testing to the affected children.
“Well, I’m going to definitely get that done,” said parent Keiandra Hardeman, “because that’s something I want for my child.”
Health officials said the risk of anyone actually getting sick because of this mistake is very low.
A local dentist KIRO7 spoke to agreed. But he also said sterilizing these instruments is standard operating procedure in dental offices. So it is hard to believe that a mistake of this kind would be made.