Endoscope inquiryMore than 1,300 patients are to be called for blood tests as a precautionary measure following concerns about endoscopes in Northern Ireland hospitals.
The province's chief medical officer Dr Henrietta Campbell announced that 685 patients at Belfast Royal Victoria Hospital and 637 patients at Whiteabbey in Co Antrim would be asked to undergo tests for HIV and other blood-borne viruses.
This follows a full and detailed investigation into all the hospital instruments used for diagnosing and treating cancer and other life-threatening conditions.
Dr Campbell said: "It is important to emphasise that the risk of harm to any patient is very remote."
The study has identified a further 1,550 patients at Antrim Hospital and 234 at Lagan Valley Hospital who will receive a letter telling them that there is an extremely low risk of infection.
The alert was raised earlier this month when a member of staff at Lagan Valley hospital in Lisburn discovered that a gastroscope had not been properly sterilised, with part of the equipment still dirty.
The Department of Health in Northern Ireland immediately ordered a study of other endoscopes following the discovery, resulting in yesterday's alert.