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Injections given as an alternative medical treatment known as “prolotherapy” or “regenerative injection therapy” spread hepatitis C among at least seven patients of 400 who were potentially exposed.
All were treated at a clinic in Santa Barbara, CA, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
Investigators said that the clinic was using a single syringe for multiple injections.
The injections, which consist of a variety of substances sometimes including platelet-rich plasma, are meant to treat chronic pain. This therapy is becoming more popular, the CDC said.
The incident came to light in November 2014 after a California blood bank reported to the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department that blood from a frequent donor showed a previously undiagnosed acute hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.
– See more at: http://www.hcplive.com/medical-news/hepatitis-c-spread-by-alternative-therapy#sthash.PoBuqt0b.dpuf