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PUYALLUP, Wash. – A nurse who admitted to using medication for patients has been identified as the likely source of a hepatitis C outbreak in a hospital in Washington state that has infected 12 people, according to a report released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday.
The agency opened its in-depth investigation last year when officials were informed of an outbreak of hepatitis C in Good Samaritan hospital patients after routine surveillance identified two patients with the disease. the emergency room, says the report.
"The survey revealed an epidemic of at least 12 [hepatitis C] infections in patients who received opioid injections from a nurse who admitted to having diverted injectable narcotics, "says the report, published in the agency's weekly newspaper, MMWR.
The nurse was only identified as "Nurse A" in the report and her license was suspended by the state's nursing commission. Nearly 2,000 patients were tested after the discovery of the disease.
"Several epidemiological findings in this survey strongly indicate that nurse A was the likely source of infection for the 12 patients with acute HCV infection," concluded the CDC's epidemiologists' report. of Washington State Health and Tacoma-Pierce County Health. Department.
The nurse used the hospital's automated drug delivery system at a higher frequency than other staff members, according to the report, and "admitted to diverting injectable narcotics for personal use".
The nurse, Cora Weberg, has maintained her innocence.
The nurse "was also the only common epidemiological link" with patients with a genetically similar strain of hepatitis C.
Hepatitis C, a blood-borne virus that infects the liver, affects 2.4 million Americans, according to the CDC. Most people are infected by sharing needles or other equipment to inject drugs. For some, it is a short-term illness, but for 70% to 85% of people with hepatitis C, it is a chronic infection to long term that can lead to major health problems or even death.
The report says that the nurse was working in to emergencies from August 2017 to March 2018. During this period, the hospital identified 2,985 patients who had been injecting drugs – opioids, sedatives or antihistamines – from the nurse while on duty , revealed the survey.
On April 28, 2018, the hospital sent letters to 2,762 patients, warning them of a potential exposure to hepatitis C, and offered them free tests. In November, 67% had been tested, of which 20 were positive for hepatitis C, including 13 with a strain genetically similar to the nurse, according to the report.
The report states that one patient was known to have chronic hepatitis C and that he had twice received injectable narcotics from the nurse in the emergency room. .
"It is possible that nurse A contracted the virus in the HCV-infected patient during the November 8 visit and that it was contagious from December 22 to 26, 2017, during which at least 12 patients she's treated have been infected, "the report says. I said.
The hospital was not named in the report, but the good Samaritan hospital in Puyallup recognized the epidemic and apologized.
"We apologize to these patients infected with hepatitis C while they were in our facility.This should not have happened," said the hospital in a statement released in June. "Security [of] our patients are of paramount importance to our mission. As part of our efforts to inform, test and treat the appropriate patients affected by this exposure, we thoroughly examine the circumstances surrounding these exposures to provide patients at all MultiCare facilities with a safe environment. "
The CDC recommends that health care institutions and public health partners recognize the potential for infection and other damage resulting from drug diversion and minimize risk by safely storing controlled substances and by regularly reviewing drugs. drug access logs.
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