Hundreds of Massachusetts hospital patients are on high alert after officials said they may have been exposed to hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV during a medical imaging procedure.

Salem Hospital officials revealed on Wednesday that roughly 450 patients receiving an endoscopy between June 2021 and April 2023 were potentially exposed during the administration of IV medications “in a manner not consistent with our best practice.”

An endoscopy is a medical imaging procedure in which doctors use a tube to look at internal organs.

A statement from the hospital highlighting the development on Wednesday did not provide details on how the exposure may have occurred and how it was corrected. Officials remained mum about specifics on Thursday.

After becoming aware of the issue earlier this year, officials said they fixed the practice and notified its quality and infection control teams.

“Salem Hospital has notified all potentially impacted patients, set up a clinician-staffed hotline to answer questions, and we are providing them with free screening and any necessary support,” officials said in a statement. “There is no evidence to date of any infections resulting from this incident.”

The hospital has been working with the state Department of Public Health in managing the situation, with the department conducting an onsite investigation.

A department spokesperson told news outlets that the department also advised the hospital “to offer free-of-charge follow-up care, including testing.”

The tests being offered are “standard tests for an exposure of this kind because they are common blood-borne pathogenic viruses that often don’t produce symptomatic infection,” a hospital spokesperson said.

Hepatitis B and C as well as HIV are blood-borne viruses that some people carry in their blood and can be spread from one person to another. Hepatitis B and C are treatable with antiviral medications, and while HIV is not curable, it can be treated with antiretroviral therapy.

Mass General Brigham owns Salem Hospital.

“The safety of our patients is our highest priority, and we have undertaken multiple corrective actions in response to this event,” a company spokesperson said. “We sincerely apologize to those who have been impacted, and we remain committed to delivering high-quality, compassionate health care to our community.”

Hepatitis B and C as well as HIV are blood-borne viruses that some people carry in their blood and can be spread from one person to another. (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases/NIH via AP)

Class 5A: Chanhassen (11-0) vs. Andover (10-1), 7 p.m.

Two of the more impressive teams in Class 5A this season are both armed with explosive offenses that can beat you by land or air. Chanhassen probably has the defensive edge here, but Andover’s offense may be a touch more dynamic. This game was meant to be played indoors on turf. Let the track meet begin. OUR PICK: Andover 42, Chanhassen 35

Class 3A: Dassel-Cokato (10-1) vs. Annandale (11-0), 4:30 p.m.

If you prefer defense versus the likely Class 5A shootout set to take place Saturday, maybe tune into this one, instead. Both teams won their quarterfinal games 14-7. That came one round after Annandale won its section final 14-8. OUR PICK: Dassel-Cokato 10, Annandale 7

Class 3A: Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton (10-1) vs. Stewartville (12-0), 2 p.m.

Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton was the team that lost the Class 3A title last fall on New London-Spicer’s miraculous touchdown on the final play. Credit to the Rebels for picking themselves off the mat and getting back to U.S. Bank Stadium a year later. But their challenge Saturday is a big one. Stewartville has long been considered the best team in Class 3A this season. How about this ratio for Stewartville quarterback Ayden Helder? He has thrown 38 touchdowns to just two interceptions this fall. OUR PICK: Stewartville 31, Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton 21

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A pilot who flew a drone into M&T Bank Stadium’s airspace Thursday night, twice stalling the Baltimore Ravens division rival matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, was unaware of the restricted zone, the Maryland Stadium Authority said Friday.

Referees stopped the game and players cleared the field because the airspace around any National Football League stadium is off-limits for an hour before and after a game. Despite the odd delay, the Ravens emerged victorious.

Officials from the Maryland Stadium Authority and Maryland State Police tracked and responded to where the drone operator was and told them to land the drone. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident and will determine whether the pilot will be penalized.

The officials “identified and interviewed the pilot/operator who was unaware of the restrictions and did not have a [temporary flight restriction] waiver to operate the drone in stadium airspace during the game,” a stadium authority spokesperson said.

Although the FAA can’t criminally prosecute offenders, it can fine drone operators more than $30,000 if their conduct is unsafe and endangers other aircraft or people on the ground. The FAA can also suspend or revoke pilot certifications.

“The FAA encourages the public to report unauthorized drone operations to local law enforcement and to help discourage this dangerous, illegal activity,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

Along with NFL games, drones can’t be flown within 3 miles of a stadium before or after any Major League Baseball and NCAA Division One football games or NASCAR Sprint Cup, Indy Car and Champ Series races.

Drone disruptions have become an increasing challenge for venue security nationwide.

Maryland Stadium Authority officials say more enforcement is needed.

“The drone detection technology the Maryland Stadium Authority implemented in 2021 has been effective for detecting unauthorized drones operating in airspace around the Camden Yards Sport Complex, but more needs to be done around drone security,” Vernon J. Conaway Jr., the stadium authority’s vice president of safety and security, said in a statement.

Stadium security officials can track and identify unauthorized drones and their pilots, but state and local law enforcement should have more authority to use “counter-drone measures to mitigate those drones that pose a credible threat to our venues,” Conaway continued.

All recreational flyers are required by law to pass a safety test, and they must register the drone with the FAA.

Last month, Columbus police charged a 28-year-old man for test-flying a drone over the Ohio Stadium during the Ohio State and Maryland football game, causing the players to leave the field.

Maryland Stadium Authority officials in 2021 hired a security company that specializes in drone detection after a drone hovered near M&T Bank Stadium for 10 minutes during a December game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The authority wanted to beef up its detection security that year for the upcoming Orioles season at Camden Yards.

New signs around Camden Yards remind fans the stadium is a “No Drone Zone.”

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