03.05.08
Well, in what I honestly have to say is one of the more extreme cases of downright egregious malpractice on American soil, the Endoscopy Center of Nevada says as many as 40,000 patients may have been exposed to Hepatitis C and even possibly HIV. The clinic is currently in the process of issuing letters to these patients acknowledging the exposure. Apparently the practice of reusing syringes by removing and replacing the needles while keeping the same plunger is the culprit behind the outbreak. The procedure was ongoing for possibly as long as 4 years, exposing thousands of people to other patients blood. The reason for this gross oversight? To save money of course. The question that obviously arises is how many other clinics have engaged in similar practices? You can read more about it in the Las Vegas Sun and listen to an NPR interview here. I usually reserve news like this for the rolling sideblog but this story was just too appalling to keep of the central feed. The story struck close to home for me since I contracted Hepatitis A (the least damaging strain) from food while traveling in Brazil about a year and a half ago. It knocked me out of commission for about a month, and I had to go to the emergency room for the first time in my adult life. If Hepatitis A can make you that sick, I could only imagine how angry someone would be if exposed to Hepatitis C in order to save a few pennies on the dollar.
written by Christopher | tags: Hepatitis C, Nevada Endoscopy Center, NPR
