Water-borne infections have sickened - and in some cases killed - patients across the United States but only two states require mandatory reporting of non-tuberculosis mycobacteria (NTM), an infection that can be acquired from any water source such as a shower, sink, or water fountain, according to an article on the WCNC website.
Experts believe state regulators need to do more to keep patients safe, the article said.
"A patient could have NTM and we wouldn't even know it, because we're not 'looking for it,'" the president of LFM Health Care Solutions said in the article.
"I think NTM should be reportable across the country, not just in a handful of states as it is currently."
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