NC hospital: 18 possibly exposed to rare disease

A North Carolina hospital says 18 patients may have been exposed to a rare neurological disease after surgical instruments were improperly sanitized.

WXII-TV reports that Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center President Jeff Lindsay apologized for the incident on Monday. Lindsay told a news conference that 18 patients may have been exposed to Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease following an operation that was performed Jan. 18.

Dr. Jim Lederer, the hospital's vice president for clinical development, says the operation was performed on a patient that was suspected and later confirmed to have the disease.

There's no known cure for the disease, which can lead to death in some cases. It could take years if not decades for other symptoms to show up.