Lynchburg, VA - A Lynchburg veteran is speaking out about his treatment at the Veteran’s Affairs hospital in Salem. He saw the story we aired last week about possible infections at many VA hospitals, based on a report by the Veteran's Administration Inspector General
Recent suspicions of his own health led him to get checked out.

That report came after surprise inspections at 42 hospitals. More than half of them did not meet standards. The VA hospital in Salem however, did not have any patient issues, but they do have one patient who might disagree with that.

60-year-old Terry Mangus loves gardening. It helps him keep his mind off the dozens of health problems he has. Hepatitis B is the latest one. "It's… it's very frustrating," Mangus said. 

Mangus went to the VA hospital in Salem on May 21st for a colonoscopy. About a week after that, he says he noticed an out-of-the-ordinary tired feeling. "Weaker than usual, I'm weak anyway because of my heart condition and things," Mangus said.

Then last week, when he heard about the startling report, he decided to go to a different local clinic and get blood work. He says his test was positive for Hepatitis B.

Dr. Thomas Eppes said, "Hepatitus B is a viral infection. "Hepa means liver, itis, inflammation, it's the inflammation of the liver."

Eppes says it's primarily transmitted by sexual contact or blood born contact, like a transfusion-the only other way is through body fluid contact. "So it potentially could be passed, within a medical facility if the instruments have not been properly sterilized," Eppes said.

Due to his many medications, Mangus gets his bloodwork checked every six months. He says his last check was clean and he hasn’t gotten any new medications or new procedures done since then. But more medications are on the way for Mangus as he adds yet another health problem to his list.

"I've been frustrated anyway, and this is just the icing on the cake ya know," Mangus said. 

The VA hospital in Salem will not comment on Mangus's health, due to Hippa regulations. And we were unable to confirm with them on Wednesday whether they are investigating his suspicions.

They told us in a statement that "the medical center is committed to patient safety, and ensuring high quality health care and services are provided to our Nation's Veterans."

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