New Jersey Doctor Linked to 29 Hepatitis B Cases

State health officials in New Jersey say that at least 29 people treated at one doctor’s office have been diagnosed with hepatitis B, and suggest that thousands of other patients treated at the same office need to undergo testing for the blood borne disease.

Officials in the New Jersey Health Department are recommending that nearly 2,800 patients of Dr. Parvez Dara, a New Jersey oncologist, should undergo testing for hepatitis B, according to the Associated Press.

Nearly 1,400 of the doctor’s patients have already been tested since March, when five cases of infection sent up red flags among health inspectors. Since then, there have been a total of 29 positive cases, and 68 patients have tested positive for Hepatitis B antibodies, though not the infection itself.

Hepatitis B is transmitted through the blood and is often obtained through use of infected needles or sexual contact. Although the five cases have not been definitively linked to Dr. Dara’s office, they were generally older adults without other risk factors which raised concerns among health officials.

The state health department released the most recent testing results at the beginning of the month, while an ongoing investigation into Dara’s practice continues. The investigation began in March, when the first signs of the hepatitis B outbreak was detected. Health inspectors visiting his office then discovered a number of health code violations, and described Dara’s medical office as unsanitary.

Dara’s office has been cited for infection control violations since 2002, and state health officials indicate that the hepatitis infection outbreak may be linked to the method his staff used to administer injectable drugs.

Inspectors found blood on the floor, blood in bins where vials of blood was stored, unsterile gauze and saline, open medication vials, the use of contaminated gloves, misuse of antiseptics and cross contamination of surfaces such as refrigerators, countertops and pens. The Board of Medical Examiners suspended Dara’s license in April.

The health department first sent out letters to Dara’s patients in March, indicating that they should get tested for possible blood-borne illnesses. In August, the department sent out an additional 2,000 letters to more of his patients, again suggesting that any who have not been tested should do so.

A similar outbreak of hepatitis in Las Vegas last year, which was linked to unsafe medical practices at two endoscopy clinics, resulted in over 114 reports of hepatitis C and approximately 40,000 people treated at the clinics between March 2004 and January 2008 were notified that they may have been exposed to blood borne disease. A number of hepatitis infection lawsuits were filed as a result of the gross negligence at the two Las Vegas clinics, but the owners have limited insurance coverage available to satisfy the claims.