Drugged-Up Worker Eyed in Hep C Outbreak
At least 20 people have been infected in the Exeter Hospital outbreak.
A drugged-up Exeter Hospital employee likely caused a hepatitis C outbreak at Exeter Hospital that has infected at least 20 people, the state's public health director said today.
Dr. Jose Montero declined to identify the employee, who could be the same employee officials have said has the disease.
He said the employee likely spread the disease in the hospital's cardiac catheterization lab through "drug diversion." That's when a hospital worker feeds a drug habit by injecting him/herself with drug-filled syringes, replacing them with saline or water, and then allowing them to be used on unsuspecting patients as if they were still filled with drugs.
The Exeter Hospital employee will likely face criminal charges. A Colorado woman who spread hepatitis C by drug diversion was recently sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Montero said today six more patients have tested positive for the same strain of hepatitis C, bring the victim total to 20. He said he expects that total to rise, as test results on hundreds of patients who were treated at the cath lab are still coming in.
Montero added investigators are expanding a testing pool to include patients who were treated at the lab from Oct. 1, 2010 to last month. Test results take seven to 10 days to process.
Hepatitis C is a chronic and sometimes deadly liver disease. It's especially lethal in older patients. At least one of the 20 victims is over the age of 55. That person is also suffering from lung cancer.
"It's disturbing," Montero said. "No one expects to go to a hospital to get sick."
When reached by Exeter Patch, Exeter Hospital did not comment directly on Montero's revelation about how an employee likely caused the outbreak.
"As far as drug testing is concerned, we do not do drug testing for permanent employees," said hospital spokesman Ryan Lawrence in an e-mail message. "However, we do require drug testing for travelers or temporary clinical staff who rotate through our units."
Above is a live blog of a news conference Montero held today with reporters.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE
- Exeter Lawmaker: Hold Public Meeting on Hepatitis C Disaster
- Criminal Charges in Hepatitis C Disaster?
- Hepatitis C Victim's Wife: No Apology, Few Answers from Exeter Hospital
- Rogue Employee in Hepatitis C Outbreak?
- DISASTER: More Victims in Hepatitis C Outbreak
- 'Irresposible' Handling of Hepatitis C Crisis?
- Exeter Hospital Hepatitis C Victim: 'I'm Scared'
- Exeter Hospital Hepatitis C Outbreak Gets Worse
- Exeter Hospital Employee Infected with Hepatitis C
- Patient 'Mad As Hell' After Hepatitis C Outbreak
- Four Hundred Tested So Far in Hep C Case
- Four Infected in Exeter Hepatitis C Outbreak
Aubry Bracco
5:42 pm on Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Jason, great work covering this story.
SheShe
12:50 am on Thursday, June 14, 2012
I think every hospital should drug test their employees. I volunteered at a Massachusetts hospital and needed to be drug tested.
Warren Bennett
7:45 pm on Friday, June 15, 2012
I wonder if the drug-diverting employee was an "Employee of the Year," and always had favorable performance reviews, for amongst other things, "always being relaxed and happy?"
I also wonder if anyone is walking in the door's of Exeter Hospital these days, and if this incident will so adversely affect Exeter Hospital's business that it'll be the "nails in the coffin?"
Who in their right mind would walk in to a hospital and think that they would walk out with a Terminal Illness as a result of their care at that hospital.
Stop the Stupid Comments
3:29 pm on Thursday, June 21, 2012
Warren, sadly, your comments on this topic paint you as little more than an uniformed, reactionary wonk, tilting at the world. The last (larger) outbreak in the country? At the Mayo Clinic. Ever heard of it? Given your post, probably not, but do some research about it. Its one of the most prestigious Hosp in the WORLD. Drug diversion can happen anywhere, by anyone. The last two outbreaks in this country were caused by a drug diverting nurse and a drug diverting anesthesiologist. All the policies in the world aren't going to keep desperate people from doing stupid things. Before you say everyone should be drug tested, some are by the way, the drugs they are diverting leave the system within hours, so there is no test. Before you say everyone should be tested for Hep C; 1) tell NH to pass the law, and 2) it won't completely solve the problem. To explain; Drug diverter is clean (no Hep C), stays clean happily stealing drugs, until he does so from a patient with Hep C (another fact you have no clue about - 30% of all baby boomer Americans have Hep C, most have no clue) he gets Hep C from the patient, continues stealing drugs, but now infecting others along the way.
Long and short, this is awful thing. The employee will get arrested and spend a long time in jail, Exeter will settle millions in lawsuits, the infected people will suffer a lifetime with Hep C. There are no easy answers, please quite the short, pithy, cable news headlines, they're beneath everyone
angel gorynski
6:12 pm on Tuesday, July 3, 2012
I'm wondering how far this person has worked there I know someone that were treated there and got it around the same time.