Clinics may be to blame in 114 cases of hepatitis C
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Investigators have identified 114 people who may have contracted the potentially deadly hepatitis C virus at two Las Vegas outpatient medical clinics, a top public health official said.
Southern Nevada Health District officials said nine cases of the incurable blood-borne liver disease were the result of the unsafe practice of reusing syringes and medicine vials at the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada and the Desert Shadow Endoscopy Center. Both clinics have closed.
An additional 105 people were diagnosed with the disease after becoming patients at the clinics but could have contracted the disease in other ways, said Brian Labus, the health district’s senior epidemiologist.
Hepatitis C can cause swelling of the liver, stomach pain, fatigue and jaundice. Even when no symptoms occur, the virus can slowly damage the liver.
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