According to the South Nevada Health District’s senior epidemiologist, there are 114 cases of potentially fatal hepatitis C virus identified among patients treated at two Las Vegas endoscopy clinics which were shut down earlier this year due to dangerous and unsafe medical practices.
Investigators have indicated that between March 2004 and January 2008, many patients treated at the Edoscopy Center of Sothern Nevada and Desert Shadow Endoscopy Center were exposed to hepatitis C and other serious infections due to the re-use of syringes and vials that are designed for only one-time use.
In January 2008, the clinics were closed and the physicians who operated the clinics, Drs. Dipak Desai and Eladio Carrera, lost their licenses to practice medicine in Nevada.
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Learn MoreInitial reports indicated that as many as 50,000 people in the Greater Las Vegas area could have been exposed due to the unsafe practices at the two clinics.
This week health officials indicated that they believe nearly everyone who could have contracted the potentially deadly virus at the clinic has been identified, and there could be 114 cases caused by the clinics.
Investigators have only been able to definitively link nine of those cases, as the other 105 people diagnosed did have other risk factors or exposures which could have resulted in the virus. However, health officials do not expect the numbers to change much in the coming months.
Hepatitis C is an infectious disease which is spread by blood-to-blood contact. It can lead to liver inflammation, cirrhosis of the liver or liver cancer.
A number of patients treated at the Las Vegas clinics are pursuing lawsuits against the clinic. However, the insurance benefits available to satisfy all claims appear to be limited and many lawyers have expressed concerns that the collectable funds may be insufficient to fully compensate all victims.
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New Jersey Hepatitis Outbreak Linked to One Oncologist - AboutLawsuits.comApril 3, 2009 at 5:22 pm
[...] treated at the clinics received similar warning letters urging them to obtain blood tests. At least 114 cases of Hepatitis C, a more severe and potentially fatal viral infection affecting the liver, were identified among [...]
VA Clinic Patients Who Received a Colonoscopy Warned of Infection Risk : AboutLawsuits.comFebruary 16, 2009 at 6:08 pm
[...] officials had identified 114 cases of potentially fatal hepatitis C among those who received a colonoscopy at either of the two Las Vegas clinics between March 2004 and January [...]
Las Vegas Hepatitis Scare Class Action Lawsuit Not Certified by Court : AboutLawsuits.comNovember 7, 2008 at 5:45 pm
[...] to local health officials, there are at least 114 confirmed cases of the Hepatitis C virus identified among former patients at the Las Vegas Clinics, and most of those victims have already [...]