Er Nurse Could Have Exposed Thousands of Patients to Hepatitis C Infection, Officials Warn

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Officials are urging thousands of patients treated at a hospital in the State of Washington to get tested for Hepatitis C, amid fears two patients contracted the disease from a nurse working in the emergency department.

The MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup, Washington, warned in a safety alert statement that patients who were treated at the ER between August 4, 2017 and March 23, 2018 could have been exposed to the disease.

The hospital is working to alert around 2,600 patients treated with injections of narcotics, antihistamines or sedatives in the eight-month period.

Following an investigation, the facility, local and state health departments concluded that a nurse at the hospital tested positive for hepatitis C, and had treated both of the patients that were infected. The unnamed nurse was taking narcotics intended for patients from the dispensing system, according to the statement. She no longer works at the institution.