Two hospital patients contracted hepatitis C from a NURSE
- 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
Mia De Graaf Health Editor For Dailymail.com
View
comments
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
-
Vietnam vet diagnosed with terminal kidney cancer after four…
Riverdale star Madelaine Petsch, 23, drinks 27 cups of water…
WHAT IS HEPATITIS C?
SYMPTOMS:
Most people do not experience any symptoms when they become infected. Some may feel briefly unwell and in rare cases may become jaundiced (yellowing of the skin and eyes). Many with chronic hepatitis C will have no symptoms, while others will feel unwell in varying degrees.
HOW TO AVOID IT:
There is no vaccine to protect against hepatitis C, but there are a number of things that can be done to avoid being infected with the virus.
Don’t start injecting drugs
Stop injecting drugs if you can. If you’re unable to stop injecting drugs, then never share drug-injecting equipment. Only use your own equipment and do not pass it on to others. This includes needles, syringes or anything else that might have been contaminated with blood.
Use condoms
If you don’t know someone’s sexual history, use a condom. Only condoms provide ‘all-in-one’ protection against pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C.
If you are considering having body piercing, ear piercing, a tattoo, semi-permanent make-up or acupuncture, whether in this country or abroad, assure that equipment used is sterile.
Avoid sharing toiletry equipment such as razors, toothbrushes or tweezers as they may have been contaminated with blood, for example due to bleeding gums or a cut from a razor.
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.
Share or comment on this article:
-
Judge hits out at police after hunt members were wrongly…
-
BBC waives licence fee for Prince Harry and Meghan…
-
Man holds on to a woman by her HAIR after she fell from…
-
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire contestant scoops the…
-
Son appears in court charged with murder of his beauty…
-
Jeff Bezos steps closer to sending paying customers into…
-
Tesla autopilot SAVES driver from a crash: Dramatic…
-
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden ‘had her bottom groped’…
-
Teenage girl has her clothes ripped off and is sexually…
-
Brazilian board-rider breaks the world record for the…
-
Trump calls White House Correspondents Dinner ‘a total…
-
Trump should win the Nobel Peace Prize, says South Korean…
-
Heathrow considers £15 congestion charge for drivers…
-
Don’t lick a man when he’s down! Dog starts humping a…
-
Now that’s fancy footwork! Little tennis player keeps…
-
PIERS MORGAN: Michelle Wolf likes to carve up human flesh…
-
‘We were thoroughly deceived’: African youths who trashed…
-
Owner of a trendy New York bar says staff members are…
Comments 0
Share what you think
No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts,
or debate this issue live on our message boards.
Close
Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline?
Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual.
Close
Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline?
Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual
We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook.
You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.