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Deadly disease discovered in Ark. hospital, operating rooms shut down

The Washington Regional Medical Center had to shut down its operating rooms on Tuesday after a patient's test results came back positive for a deadly disease. 

Washington Regional Medical Center, KFSM

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KTHV) - The Washington Regional Medical Center had to shut down its operating rooms on Tuesday after a patient's test results came back positive for a deadly disease.

News affiliate KFSM reported that Creutzfeldt-Jakob, a rare degenerative brain disease, was found in a sample that was sent for testing on Feb. 15, 2016.

The WRMC shut down its operating rooms on Tuesday and would resume surgical cases on Wednesday night.

According to Dr. James Newton, WRMC infectious disease specialist, there is no risk to patients who are currently at the hospital. He added that the hospital did a thorough sterilization of the facility and replaced any possibly contaminated tools.

Center for Disease Control and the Arkansas Department of Health are involved in the investigation.

For more on this story, visit the KFSM website.

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