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Eighth Hepatitis C Case Linked to Medical Clinic

Apr. 27, 2008 Las Vegas Review-Journal

Health officials reported last week an eighth case of acute hepatitis C was linked to a Las Vegas endoscopy center, and that thousands more might have been exposed to that and other blood-borne diseases.

Brian Labus, the Southern Nevada Health District's senior epidemiologist, said the latest acute hepatitis C case was linked to the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada's clinic at 700 Shadow Lane. The patient underwent a procedure at the facility in June 2005 and developed symptoms within nine weeks, Labus said.

The case was never reported to the health district, as required under state law.

The Shadow Lane facility is at the center of the health crisis, which caused officials to send warnings to 40,000 people to be tested for hepatitis strains and HIV.

Labus informed the health district board that thousands more patients who might have been exposed to blood-borne diseases during medical procedures at the clinic have yet to be warned they're at risk. Some 10,000 patients have not been notified, because clinic staff didn't give their names to investigators.

"The clinic told us that they had given us a complete list. Obviously, that wasn't true,'' Labus said Thursday. "Why? I can't answer that.''