Drug-Resistant Bacteria Lead To Two Deaths At UCLA Medical Center

(CNN) — The deaths of two patients at a Los Angeles hospital are linked to the deadly bacteria CRE and more than 100 other patients may have been exposed to the drug-resistant superbug, a spokeswoman for the UCLA Health Systems said Wednesday.

Roxanne Yamaguchi Moster said in a written statement that seven patients are known to have been infected by carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae, and CRE was a contributing factor in the death of two of them.

The medical equipment at the hospital are believe to be tainted with a deadly "superbug" which may have entered the bloodstream of some patients. This is deadly as these bacteria are mutated.

According to CBS news, the potential exposure occurred between October 2014 and last month "during complex endoscopic procedures," the hospital said.

Although the equipment used in the procedures was sterilized, the hospital said "an internal investigation determined that carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) bacteria may have been transmitted during a procedure that uses this specialized scope to diagnose and treat pancreaticobiliary diseases and a contributing factor in the death of two patients."

The hospital have since notified their patients about this new discovery and have also informed the Los Angeles County Department of Health and the California Department of Public Health.

The hospital is acting fast on this issue and appropriate measures are in place as there is a thorough decontamination process going that goes "above and beyond the manufacturer and national standards," UCLA said.

This is really scary! If you know anyone that has just been discharged from UCLA or has recently done a blood work, kindly asked he/she to go check themselves!!!