Hepatitis C Victim Toll Rises Again

State officials today announced another patient has tested positive for hepatitis C – bringing the victim toll in the outbreak at the hospital to 21.

Officials have said the outbreak was likely caused by a . A criminal probe has been into the matter. No arrests have been made so far.

All 21 test results are being sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confirmation.

“We  are confident in our testing results,” said Dr. José Montero, New Hampshire's public health director, in a statement. “However, given the implications of these tests, we want  the  CDC to independently validate our results and hopefully shed more light on the outbreak itself.

"We have tested over 1,000 samples frompatients identified as being treated in the CCL or its recovery room. The investigation is still ongoing,  but  we are  working as quickly and as thoroughly as we  can in close collaboration with  Exeter Hospital to complete the necessary work.”

Below is a news release state health officials issued this afternoon:

The  New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)  Division  of  Public  Health  Services  (DPHS) is today announcing additional results  related to the testing of patients who were treated at Exeter Hospital’s Cardiac Catheterization Lab (CCL) and its recovery room since October 1, 2010. The NH Public Health Labs (PHL) have identified an additional patient who matches the strain of hepatitis C recently diagnosed in 20 people already associated with the CCL, bringing the total number of related cases to 21. Of these 21 patients, 1 is also an Exeter Hospital employee.

DPHS  is  sending samples from all of the patients who had positive testing results for hepatitis C to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for further testing. The results of the first 6 samples of patients with  active hepatitis C that were sent to CDC on June 5th are complete and confirm the NH Public Health Labs’ results.

Test results to date, and any future results will be posted on the DHHS website at www.dhhs.nh.gov.

Hepatitis C is a viral infection transmitted by blood. It causes inflammation of the liver that can lead to chronic health issues. It is passed from person to person through contact with an infected person’s blood.

Any patient who was treated at the CCL or its recovery room between October 1, 2010 and May 25, 2012 should have received a letter from Exeter Hospital recommending  testing for hepatitis C. Blood draws can be scheduled through Exeter  Hospital’s Information and Referral Center at (603) 580-6124. If patient prefer, additional testing sites have been set up at Hampton, NH and Portsmouth, NH. For questions and information about hepatitis C, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website   at www.cdc.gov/hepatitis, the DHHS website at www.dhhs.nh.gov, or call the DPHS Bureau of Infectious Disease Control at 603-271-4496.

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