Title : Two patients contracted hepatitis C from nurse at Washington hospital
link : Two patients contracted hepatitis C from nurse at Washington hospital
Two patients contracted hepatitis C from nurse at Washington hospital
- The nurse administered antihistamines and sedatives in the ER at MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup, Washington
- It has since emerged that between August 2017 and March 2018, the nurse was stealing narcotics from the hospital
- She also tested positive for hepatitis C, and later two patients tested positive
- The hospital is now urging 2,600 patients to get tested - even some who weren't treated by the nurse
- The nurse, who is not identified, is no longer working at the hospital
Two patients have contracted hepatitis C from a nurse at a Washington hospital - and 2,600 more may have been exposed.
The nurse, who has not been identified, administered antihistamines and sedatives as part of her job in the emergency department at MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup, 35 miles south of Seattle.
But it has since emerged that between August 2017 and March 2018, the nurse was stealing narcotics from the hospital, and tested positive for hepatitis C, a blood-borne infection.
An investigation revealed two of the hospital's thousands of patients had since contracted the disease.
Now, even patients who weren't treated by the nurse are being urged to get tested for hepatitis B, C and HIV, as they fear some of the hospital's equipment could have been contaminated.
Patients contracted hepatitis C after an infected nurse administered drugs to patients at at MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup, Washington
The nurse no longer works at the hospital.
The hospital insisted the exposure was not as far-reaching as it could have been; they estimate it affected about five percent of the 54,000-strong patient population.
A spokesman insisted it was an 'isolated situation'.
'We deeply value the trust of our community, and apologize for the worry this will create,' the hospital group's CEO Chris Bredeson said in a statement.
'We have taken extensive measures to identify anyone who may have been at risk for exposure, out of interest for the health and safety of our patients and the community.
'We remain committed to the highest standards of patient care and are working to make sure the affected patients are supported and have the information they need.'
Most people with hepatitis C do not realize they have the virus because it can take years or even decades for symptoms to appear.
Around one in four people with hepatitis C will get rid of the virus naturally.
The remainder will develop chronic infection. Many people with chronic hepatitis C infection will live out a normal lifespan.
About one in five of people with chronic infection will eventually develop severe liver damage (cirrhosis), which can lead to liver cancer or liver failure and the need for liver transplantation.
Hepatitis C is not just a disease contracted by people who inject drugs.
Anyone whose blood has come into contact with the blood of someone infected with the hepatitis C virus, could be at risk. There are other ways that the virus can be transmitted.
Hepatitis C can be successfully treated, treatments are available.
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