Dirty Ottawa clinic equipment may have affected 4,600 patients

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Minor procedures could put patients at risk of hepatitis, HIV at the the Main Street Family Medical Centre at 1251 Stittsville Main St.

Thousands of people who underwent minor surgery at a west Ottawa medical clinic were at a higher risk of infection due to improperly cleaned medical equipment over the last 15 years, health officials say.

Ottawa Public Health launched an investigation after receiving a complaint from a member of the public in late April about the Main Street Family Medical Centre at 1251 Stittsville Main St.

All surgical procedures were stopped the day after Ottawa Public Health got the complaint, officials said in a news release, adding there wasn’t a specific complaint about a piece of equipment, rather an observation of the general lack of cleanliness.