Utah Hepatitis C Outbreak News
Two Utah hospitals were on alert in early January 2016, after the discovery of a Hepatitis C outbreak linked to an infected former nurse. Mckay-Dee Hospital, in Ogden, and Davis Hospital, in Layton have stated that over 7,000 patients were potentially exposed to contact with the former nurse, and so are at risk of having contracted Hepatitis C.
According to the Standard Examiner, Dr. Angela Dunn, a physician with the Utah Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, explained, “We do consider this an outbreak […] When we have two or more hepatitis C-related infections, we consider it an outbreak.”
Infected Ex-Nurse at Center of Utah Hepatitis C Outbreak
Dr. Dunn elaborates that the infection was traced to one individual: “So we don’t know exactly how it happened; all we know is we have two cases that are related. And one of the cases is a healthcare provider that was working in the emergency department and fired for using medications illegally.”
The infected former nurse at the center of the Utah Hepatitis C outbreak, Elet Neilson, eventually pleaded to a misdemeanor for possession of a controlled substance, paid a $413 fine, and served no jail time.
The other case of Hepatitis C, which linked the infection back to Neilson, was found in a blood donor. “This person had no risk factors, so we looked into his medical history and identified his visit at the McKay Dee medical center as his only risk factor. And then having been treated by this healthcare provider [Neilson] who also had hepatitis C and was diverting drugs.”
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Hospitals in Utah Hepatitis C Outbreak Offer Free Hepatitis C Testing
The hospitals that previously employed Elet Neilson, Mckay-Dee Hospital, in Ogden, and Davis Hospital, in Layton, are offering free testing through the end of January to those who may have contracted Hepatitis C. Exposure to the disease is thought to have occurred between June 17, 2013 and Nov. 25, 2014.
So far, only 35 percent of the 7,200 patients contacted to receive free testing have come forward, but several people who have been tested have tested positive for the disease.
“We’re hoping for about half [of those contacted to be tested] at the end of the day, but we only have a few weeks left of free testing,” Dunn said.
Hepatitis-C Information and Testing
Dr. Dunn emphasizes the importance of getting tested, as “[Hepatitis] is a virus that affects the liver. However, it lays dormant for up to 25 years. So people who are infected will have no symptoms for several decades. and then all of the sudden their liver will start failing and that’s a deadly part of the disease.” Dunn continued to explain, “So it’s important to be identified early in the disease court when people don’t have symptoms so they can get effective treatment.”
