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Medical researchers in South Africa's Western Cape Province have warned that there was a chance of hospital patients becoming infected with HIV through contaminated needles and other medical equipment.
Dr Mark Cotton, head of the study team, attributed the problem to possible negligence and the high workload at state hospitals in particular.
In the latest edition of the South African Medical Journal, Cotton said 14 children had contracted HIV in hospitals in the Western Cape between 1997 and 2003. The mothers of all the children were HIV-negative.
Cotton was quoted as saying: "Researchers were certain enough about the study to write about it, which should be a wake-up call for the hospitals."
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