About a dozen county jail inmates may have been exposed to HIV
WACO, Texas (KWTX) – The McLennan County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a Friday the 13th incident in which a jail nurse may have exposed about a dozen county jail inmates with diabetes to HIV through potentially tainted medical injections.
A jailer observing the nurse giving the diabetic medication questioned whether she exposed other inmates to HIV after she reportedly used the same vial on an HIV-positive inmate, a source familiar with the investigation said Monday.
Neither McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara nor Chief Deputy Cody Blossman responded to messages from KWTX on Monday.
After jail officials were made aware of the potential HIV exposure, they administered post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to the inmates, the source said. PEP is a time-sensitive, emergency 28-day regimen of antiviral medication taken to prevent HIV infection after potential exposure. It must be started within 72 hours of exposure for maximum effectiveness, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Penelope Cortez, of Buda, confirmed Monday that her husband, Edward Cortez, 51, was given the PEP medication after officials were concerned he and about a dozen other inmates might have been exposed to HIV, the virus that can lead to AIDS.
Edward Cortez, a construction worker and father of six, has been jailed since Dec. 19 after a motion was filed to adjudicate his guilt on allegations he violated his deferred probation for felony theft, according to jail records. His wife said he has had diabetes about 18 years.
She allowed KWTX to use her name and her husband’s name and photo despite their concerns that he will be retaliated against by jail officials. She said her husband, an Austin native, called her from jail on Friday evening to report the potential exposure.
“My husband is now afraid to take insulin from the jail,” Penelope Cortez said. “He don’t trust them anymore. He is very afraid and his head is just spinning around. He don’t know what to think anymore, but somebody has to be held accountable if something happens to him.”
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