40,000 Patients Possibly Exposed to Hepatitis C

One Simple Mistake Leads to Extensive Testing

It appears that a simple mistake in sharps safety led to an outbreak of hepatitis C in Las Vegas. Now, the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) is asking 40,000 patients to be tested for hepatitis C virus (HCV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Information provided by the SNHD indicates that the outbreak began when an HCV patient received medication from a single-use vial. The healthcare provider dipped into the vial again with the same syringe to re-medicate the patient. Then the single-use vial – which had been contaminated – was used again for other patients.

Investigation by the endoscopy clinic and by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that this was not an isolated incident, but may have been a regular practice from March 2004 through January 2008. Patients who received injected anesthesia at the Endoscopy Center of Nevada (located at 700 Shadow Lane) between those dates are all being asked to get tested.

To visit the SNHD's page about the outbreak, click HERE . The Web page has links at the top for patients, healthcare professionals, and for patient resources. T o read the press release, click HERE.

All this furor is the result of a single step in the process being performed incorrectly. If the healthcare provider had reached for a clean syringe, and used a single-dose vial for a single dose, there would be no outbreak.

Education is being offered to the center's staff, but I wonder if the people of Las Vegas will think that's enough. I anticipate a great deal of fallout from this and wonder if other centers are following the same erroneous practices.

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