Argentina recalls 40,000 IUDs

updated 7:05 p.m. ET Sept. 14, 2009

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina - Argentina's government is recalling 40,000 IUDs after discovering some of the birth control devices contaminated with bacteria.

The health ministry says the intrauterine devices were distributed for free by public hospitals nationwide.

Guillermo Gonzalez Prieto, a health ministry official, tells the Diarios y Noticias news agency that packaging for some IUDs was poorly sealed, allowing the sterile devices to be contaminated.

Health Minister Juan Manzur put out a warning Monday to provinces and hospitals to recall the devices and look for signs of complications in patients. He also urged women who got an IUD through a government health plan to consult their doctors.

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