-lrb- cnn -rrb- -- thirteen patients who underwent surgery this summer may have been exposed to a fatal brain disease after their surgeries were performed using the same potentially contaminated medical equipment , according to health officials in two states . the specialized equipment was originally used to operate on a patient now suspected of having creutzfeldt-jakob disease , the new hampshire department of health and human services announced wednesday . the now-deceased patient had neurosurgery at catholic medical center in manchester , new hampshire . the only way to confirm the illness is with an autopsy . the new hampshire department of health and human services announced wednesday that it is monitoring eight patients who were operated on with the same equipment for signs of the fatal brain disease . on thursday , the massachusetts department of public health followed with its own statement , saying five additional patients who underwent surgery at a cape cod hospital may also have been exposed . the surgical equipment used at both hospitals was from medtronic inc. according to the massachusetts department of public health . normal sterilization procedures do n't get rid of creutzfeldt-jakob disease proteins , known as prions , according to the department of health and human services . most medical devices are sterilized by heat , but the world health organization recommends the use of a caustic chemical like sodium hydroxide to disinfect equipment that may have come in contact with tissues that could cause creutzfeldt-jakob disease . it 's common for hospitals to share this kind of specialized medical equipment , said dr. donald guadagnoli , chief medical officer for cape cod healthcare . `` people apparently are unaware , at least in some specialties , that it is regularly common for instruments to be moved around , to be rented and loaned , '' he said . `` we are comfortable with our sterilization process . '' the five patients in massachusetts each had spinal cord surgery at cape cod hospital between july and august , and all the potentially affected patients have been notified of the risk , the massachusetts department of public health said . the singer praised by cheryl fernandez-versini as ` a super talent ' on last night 's x factor is struggling to come to terms with the death of her step-brother . monica michael , 23 , revealed that savvakis alexandros georgiou -- who went with her to the audition seen by ten million viewers last night -- died in a swimming pool tragedy in ayia napa in cyprus after filming took place several weeks ago . the 18-year-old , who had signed for league two football club stevenage fc , is believed to have slipped and fallen into the pool on august 18 while partying with friends . according to reports , he was under water for up to 20 minutes . scroll down for video . monica michael , 23 , revealed that her step brother , savvakis alexandros georgiou -- who went with her to the audition seen last night -- died in a swimming pool tragedy in ayia napa after filming several weeks ago . heartbroken monica , left , from north london , said : ` nobody could see his body at the bottom of the pool because it was so dirty . she added : ` if it was not for the fact that it was so filthy maybe someone could have seen him sooner and saved his life . it is just so devastatingly sad . ` we are waiting for the autopsy . apparently he was unconscious when he hit the water . ' monica said she hoped her brother would have been proud of her performance . ` sav was a huge fan of the x factor , ' she said . ` he always wanted to see the show and how it was run and i am just happy he got to witness it before he died . i just hope i have made him proud up in heaven . ' the singer was praised by cheryl fernandez-versini as ` a super talent ' on last night 's x factor . the singer urged teenagers to be careful when travelling abroad . monica wowed all four judges with a song about her sister natalie , 16 , and said music had helped her turn her life around . ` i was falling in with the wrong crowd and maybe drinking a little too much , ' she said . ` when i was 19 or 20 , i thought it was time to cut out certain people bringing negative vibes into your life . ' she said she hoped the song would help her sister learn from her own mistakes , adding : ` i just wanted to let her know that i would always be there for her . ' the department added that the risk to the potentially affected patients is very low because they underwent spinal cord surgery instead of brain surgery . there is no danger to hospital staff or members of the public , according to the statement . `` our concern is with the health and well-being of the eight patients who may have been exposed to cjd , '' dr. joseph pepe , catholic medical center 's ceo , said in a statement wednesday . `` we will work closely with these families to help them in any way possible , even though the risk of infection is extremely low . '' an autopsy of the original patient to confirm the illness -- which differs from a variant of creutzfeldt-jakob disease commonly known as `` mad cow disease '' -- is being conducted at the national prion disease pathology surveillance center , catholic medical center said wednesday -lrb- pdf -rrb- . the centers for disease control and prevention says that no cases of the disease have been linked to the use of contaminated medical equipment since 1976 . creutzfeldt-jakob disease strikes fewer than 400 people a year in the united states , according to the cdc . victims show signs of memory loss and cognitive difficulty early on ; the ailment is `` rapidly progressive and always fatal , '' the cdc says . florida boy dies from brain-eating parasite . cnn 's jacque wilson , matt smith , miriam falco and jennifer bixler contributed to this report .
monica michael , 23 , revealed that savvakis alexandros georgiou , 18 -- who went with her to the audition - died in a swimming pool tragedy in ayia napa . he died in a swimming pool tragedy after filming took place a few weeks ago . he is believed to have slipped into the pool while partying with friends . ms michael was praised by cheryl fernandez-versini on last night 's show .
share this kind of specialized medical equipment , said dr. donald guadagnoli , chief medical officer for cape cod healthcare . `` people apparently are unaware , at least in some specialties , that it is regularly common for instruments to be moved around , to be rented and loaned , '' he said . `` we are comfortable with our sterilization process . '' the five patients in massachusetts each had spinal cord surgery at cape cod hospital between july and august , and all the potentially affected patients have been notified of the risk , the massachusetts department of public health said . the singer praised by cheryl fernandez-versini as ` a super talent ' on last night 's x factor is struggling to come to terms with the death of her step-brother . monica michael , 23 , revealed that savvakis alexandros georgiou -- who went with her to the audition seen by ten million viewers last night -- died in a swimming pool tragedy in ayia napa in cyprus after filming took place several weeks ago . the 18-year-old , who had signed for league two football club stevenage fc , is believed to have slipped and fallen into the pool on august 18 while partying with friends . according to reports , he was under water for up to 20 minutes . scroll down for video . monica michael , 23 , revealed that her step brother , savvakis alexandros georgiou -- who went with her to the audition seen last night -- died in a swimming pool tragedy in ayia napa after filming several weeks ago . heartbroken monica , left , from north london , said : ` nobody could see his body at the bottom of the pool because it was so dirty . she added : ` if it was not for the fact that it was so filthy maybe someone could have seen him sooner and saved his life . it is just so devastatingly sad . ` we are waiting for the autopsy . apparently he was unconscious when he hit the water . ' monica said she hoped her brother would have been proud of her performance . ` sav was a huge fan of the x factor , ' she said . ` he always wanted to see the show and how it was run and i am just happy he got to witness it before he died . i just hope i have made him proud up in heaven . ' the singer was praised by cheryl fernandez-versini as ` a super talent ' on last night 's x factor . the singer urged teenagers to be careful when travelling abroad . monica wowed all four judges with a song about her sister natalie , 16 , and said music had helped her turn her life around . ` i was falling in with the wrong crowd and maybe drinking a little too much , ' she said . ` when i was 19 or 20 , i thought it was time to cut out certain people bringing negative vibes into your life . ' she said she hoped the song would help her sister learn from her own mistakes , adding : ` i just wanted to let her know that i would always be there for her . ' the department added that the risk to the potentially affected patients is very low because they underwent spinal cord surgery instead of brain surgery . there is no danger to hospital staff or members of the public , according to the statement . `` our concern is with the health and well-being of the eight patients who may have been exposed to cjd , '' dr. joseph pepe , catholic medical center 's ceo , said in a statement wednesday . `` we will work closely with these families to help them in any way possible , even though the risk of infection is extremely low . '' an autopsy of the original patient to confirm the illness -- which differs from a variant of creutzfeldt-jakob disease commonly known as `` mad cow disease '' -- is being conducted at the national prion disease pathology surveillance center , catholic medical center said wednesday -lrb- pdf -rrb- . the centers for disease control and prevention says that no cases of the disease have been linked to the use of contaminated medical equipment since 1976 . creutzfeldt-jakob disease strikes fewer than 400 people a year in the united states , according to the cdc . victims show signs of memory loss and cognitive difficulty early on ; the ailment is `` rapidly progressive and always fatal , '' the cdc says . florida boy dies from brain-eating parasite . cnn 's jacque wilson , matt smith , miriam falco and jennifer bixler contributed to this report .
-lrb- cnn -rrb- -- thirteen patients who underwent surgery this summer may have been exposed to a fatal brain disease after their surgeries were performed using the same potentially contaminated medical equipment , according to health officials in two states . the specialized equipment was originally used to operate on a patient now suspected of having creutzfeldt-jakob disease , the new hampshire department of health and human services announced wednesday . the now-deceased patient had neurosurgery at catholic medical center in manchester , new hampshire . the only way to confirm the illness is with an autopsy . the new hampshire department of health and human services announced wednesday that it is monitoring eight patients who were operated on with the same equipment for signs of the fatal brain disease . on thursday , the massachusetts department of public health followed with its own statement , saying five additional patients who underwent surgery at a cape cod hospital may also have been exposed . the surgical equipment used at both hospitals was from medtronic inc. according to the massachusetts department of public health . normal sterilization procedures do n't get rid of creutzfeldt-jakob disease proteins , known as prions , according to the department of health and human services . most medical devices are sterilized by heat , but the world health organization recommends the use of a caustic chemical like sodium hydroxide to disinfect equipment that may have come in contact with tissues that could cause creutzfeldt-jakob disease . it 's common for hospitals to share this kind of specialized medical equipment , said dr. donald guadagnoli , chief medical officer for cape cod healthcare . `` people apparently are unaware , at least in some specialties , that it is regularly common for instruments to be moved around , to be rented and loaned , '' he said . `` we are comfortable with our sterilization process . '' the five patients in massachusetts each had spinal cord surgery at cape cod hospital between july and august , and all the potentially affected patients have been notified of the risk , the massachusetts department of public health said . the singer praised by cheryl fernandez-versini as ` a super talent ' on last night 's x factor is struggling to come to night -- died in a swimming pool tragedy in ayia napa after filming several weeks ago . heartbroken monica , left , from north london , said : ` nobody could see his body at the bottom of the pool because it was so dirty . she added : ` if it was not for the fact that it was so filthy maybe someone could have seen him sooner and saved his life . it is just so devastatingly sad . ` we are waiting for the autopsy . apparently he was unconscious when he hit the water . ' monica said she hoped her brother would have been proud of her performance . ` sav was a huge fan of the x factor , ' she said . ` he always wanted to see the show and how it was run and i am just happy he got to witness it before he died . i just hope i have made him proud up in heaven . ' the singer was praised by cheryl fernandez-versini as ` a super talent ' on last night 's x factor . the singer urged teenagers to be careful when travelling abroad . monica wowed all four judges with a song about her sister natalie , 16 , and said music had helped her turn her life around . ` i was falling in with the wrong crowd and maybe drinking a little too much , ' she said . ` when i was 19 or 20 , i thought it was time to cut out certain people bringing negative vibes into your life . ' she said she hoped the song would help her sister learn from her own mistakes , adding : ` i just wanted to let her know that i would always be there for her . ' the department added that the risk to the potentially affected patients is very low because they underwent spinal cord surgery instead of brain surgery . there is no danger to hospital staff or members of the public , according to the statement . `` our concern is with the health and well-being of the eight patients who may have been exposed to cjd , '' dr. joseph pepe , catholic medical center 's ceo , said in a statement wednesday . `` we will work closely with these families to help them in any way possible , even though the risk of infection is extremely low . '' an autopsy of the original patient to confirm the illness -- which differs from a variant of creutzfeldt-jakob disease commonly known as `` mad cow disease '' -- is being conducted at the national prion disease pathology surveillance center , catholic medical center said wednesday -lrb- pdf -rrb- . the centers for disease control and prevention says that no cases of the disease have been linked to the use of contaminated medical equipment since 1976 . creutzfeldt-jakob disease strikes fewer than 400 people a year in the united states , according to the cdc . victims show signs of memory loss and cognitive difficulty early on ; the ailment is `` rapidly progressive and always fatal , '' the cdc says . florida boy dies from brain-eating parasite . cnn 's jacque wilson , matt smith , miriam falco and jennifer bixler contributed to this report .
-lrb- cnn -rrb- -- thirteen patients who underwent surgery this may exposed a fatal brain disease after their surgeries using the same potentially contaminated medical equipment, health officials two states the specialized equipment was originally used operate on a patient now suspected, the new hampshire department health and human announced wednesday the now-deceased patient had neurosurgery at catholic medical center manchester, new hampshire. the only way confirm the illness with autopsy. the new hampshire department health human announced wednesday monitoring eight patients operated with the same equipment for signs the fatal brain disease. on thursday, the massachusetts department followed with its own statement, five additional patients who underwent a cape cod hospital may also. the surgical equipment at both hospitals was from medtronic inc. according the massachusetts department. normal sterilization procedures do n't get rid creutzfeldt-jakob disease proteins, known prions according the department most medical devices sterilized heat, but the world health organization recommends a caustic chemical like disinfect equipment that may come tissues that could it 's common hospitals share this kind specialized medical equipment, said dr donald guadagnoli, chief medical officer for cape cod healthcare. `` people apparently are unaware, at some specialties it regularly common instruments moved, to rented and loaned '' he. `` we comfortable our sterilization process. '' the five patients in massachusetts each spinal cord surgery at cape cod hospital between july, all the potentially affected patients have notified the risk, the massachusetts department. the singer praised by cheryl fernandez-versini as ` a super talent on last night 's x factor is struggling come her step-brother. monica michael, 23 revealed savvakis alexandros georgiou -- who went with the audition seen by ten million viewers last died a swimming pool tragedy ayia napa cyprus after filming took several. the 18, signed league two football club stevenage fc, is believed slipped and on august 18 while partying. according reports, he under water. scroll. monica michael, 23 revealed her step brother, savvakis alexandros georgiou -- went with the audition seen last died a swimming pool tragedy ayia napa after filming several weeks. heartbroken monica, left, from north london said : ` nobody could see his body at the bottom because dirty. she added : ` if it it so filthy maybe someone seen him sooner saved. it just so devastatingly sad. ` we waiting the autopsy. apparently he unconscious hit. ' monica said she hoped her brother have proud her performance. ` sav was a huge fan the x factor, ' she. ` he always wanted see the show how run i am just witness before. i just hope i have made him proud up in heaven. ' the singer was praised cheryl fernandez-versini as ` a super talent on last night 's x factor. the singer urged teenagers be travelling abroad. monica wowed all four judges a song her sister natalie, 16 said music had turn ` i was falling in with the wrong crowd maybe drinking, ' she. ` when i 19 or, thought time cut out certain people bringing negative vibes. ' she she hoped the song help her sister learn from, adding : ` i just let would always. ' the department added the risk the potentially affected patients very because underwent spinal cord surgery instead. there no danger hospital staff members, according. `` our concern the eight patients may cjd, '' dr joseph pepe, catholic medical center 's ceo said wednesday. `` we will work closely these families help in, even though the risk infection. '' an autopsy of the original patient to confirm the illness -- which differs a variant commonly `` mad cow disease being the national prion disease pathology surveillance center, catholic medical center said wednesday -lrb- pdf -rrb-. the centers for disease control says no cases the disease linked contaminated medical equipment since 1976. creutzfeldt-jakob disease strikes fewer than 400 people the united states, the cdc. victims show signs memory loss cognitive difficulty early ; the ailment `` rapidly progressive always fatal, '' the cdc says. florida boy dies from brain-eating parasite. cnn 's jacque wilson, matt smith miriam falco and jennifer bixler contributed.
share this kind of specialized medical equipment , said dr. donald guadagnoli , chief medical officer for cape cod healthcare . `` people apparently are unaware , at least in some specialties , that it is regularly common for instruments to be moved around , to be rented and loaned , '' he said . `` we are comfortable with our sterilization process . '' the five patients in massachusetts each had spinal cord surgery at cape cod hospital between july and august , and all the potentially affected patients have been notified of the risk , the massachusetts department of public health said . the singer praised by cheryl fernandez-versini as ` a super talent ' on last night 's x factor is struggling to come to terms with the death of her step-brother . monica michael , 23 , revealed that savvakis alexandros georgiou -- who went with her to the audition seen by ten million viewers last night -- died in a swimming pool tragedy in ayia napa in cyprus after filming took place several weeks ago . the 18-year-old , who had signed for league two football club stevenage fc , is believed to have slipped and fallen into the pool on august 18 while partying with friends . according to reports , he was under water for up to 20 minutes . scroll down for video . monica michael , 23 , revealed that her step brother , savvakis alexandros georgiou -- who went with her to the audition seen last night -- died in a swimming pool tragedy in ayia napa after filming several weeks ago . heartbroken monica , left , from north london , said : ` nobody could see his body at the bottom of the pool because it was so dirty . she added : ` if it was not for the fact that it was so filthy maybe someone could have seen him sooner and saved his life . it is just so devastatingly sad . ` we are waiting for the autopsy . apparently he was unconscious when he hit the water . ' monica said she hoped her brother would have been proud of her performance . ` sav was a huge fan of the x factor , ' she said . ` he always wanted to see the show and how it was run and i am just happy he got to witness it before he died . i just hope i have made him proud up in heaven . ' the singer was praised by cheryl fernandez-versini as ` a super talent ' on last night 's x factor . the singer urged teenagers to be careful when travelling abroad . monica wowed all four judges with a song about her sister natalie , 16 , and said music had helped her turn her life around . ` i was falling in with the wrong crowd and maybe drinking a little too much , ' she said . ` when i was 19 or 20 , i thought it was time to cut out certain people bringing negative vibes into your life . ' she said she hoped the song would help her sister learn from her own mistakes , adding : ` i just wanted to let her know that i would always be there for her . ' the department added that the risk to the potentially affected patients is very low because they underwent spinal cord surgery instead of brain surgery . there is no danger to hospital staff or members of the public , according to the statement . `` our concern is with the health and well-being of the eight patients who may have been exposed to cjd , '' dr. joseph pepe , catholic medical center 's ceo , said in a statement wednesday . `` we will work closely with these families to help them in any way possible , even though the risk of infection is extremely low . '' an autopsy of the original patient to confirm the illness -- which differs from a variant of creutzfeldt-jakob disease commonly known as `` mad cow disease '' -- is being conducted at the national prion disease pathology surveillance center , catholic medical center said wednesday -lrb- pdf -rrb- . the centers for disease control and prevention says that no cases of the disease have been linked to the use of contaminated medical equipment since 1976 . creutzfeldt-jakob disease strikes fewer than 400 people a year in the united states , according to the cdc .
 The text appears to be a medical report or article discussing various medical topics, including spinal cord surgery, patient care, and disease diagnosis. It mentions specific individuals, such as Dr. Donald Guadagnoli and Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, and references medical centers like Cape Cod Hospital. The tone is informative and professional, suggesting that the text is intended for an audience with some medical background or interest.