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Patient-to-Patient Transmission of Hepatitis B Tied to Lapses in
Infection Control |
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| Medscape |
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| April 20, 2009 |
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| "Breaches in infection-control
measures during several routine clinical practices can result in
patient-to-patient transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV), according to
a systematic review by Italian researchers. The review, which sought to
identify the most frequent infection pathways and clinical settings
involved in such instances, is reported in the online journal BMC
Medicine for April 8. The authors identified 30 published papers that
reported on a total of 33 HBV outbreaks in the United States and the
European Union involving 471 patients and 16 fatalities..." |
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Free Hepatitis B Shots Coming for Some Minnesota Inmates |
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| St. Paul Pioneer Press (MN) |
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| April 18, 2009 |
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| "Inmates in the Steele County jail
will soon have access to free hepatitis B vaccines under a program run
by state and federal health officials. Hepatitis B is an infectious
disease that attacks the liver and is spread through bodily fluids or
intravenous drug use. The vaccine can often cost $300 from a private
provider. The jail is one of 16 facilities in the state in the program.
The others include jails, the state women's prison, methadone clinics
and sexually transmitted disease clinics..." |
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Regulators Suspend NJ Doc's License |
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| NPR |
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| April 8, 2009 |
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| "A New Jersey doctor whom health
officials suspect was the source of a hepatitis B outbreak had his
medical license suspended indefinitely on Wednesday by state regulators.
Nearly 3,000 of Dr. Parvez Dara's patients have been warned to get
tested after five cancer patients tested positive for the disease, which
is transmitted through exposure to infected blood and can cause serious
liver damage..." |
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VA Looking into Possible Contamination at Medical Facilities |
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CNN.com |
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April 7, 2009 |
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"The Department of Veterans Affairs has launched an investigation
into whether there is a connection between improperly sterilized
endoscopy equipment and a veteran's positive HIV test. Sen. Bill Nelson,
D-Florida, requested that the VA look into potential contamination at
its facilities. This comes after more than 10,000 veterans were possibly
exposed to HIV and hepatitis at three VA facilities while undergoing
colonoscopies and other procedures with equipment that had not been
properly cleaned. The VA sent letters to those veterans offering free
testing for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV..." |
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Tests Urged after NJ Hepatitis B Outbreak |
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| Staten Island Advance |
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| April 6, 2009 |
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| "A hepatitis B cluster was discovered
last week when five people from Ocean County, N.J., were diagnosed with
the disease. Where five cases would be the norm for the year, five cases
within two months raised red flags for health officials, who, in turn
urged nearly 3,000 people to get checked for the disease. Hepatitis B is
a potentially severe and sometimes deadly disease that affects the
liver..." |
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16 Patients Have Hepatitis in Army Needle Scare |
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| March 10, 2009 |
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| WIBW.com |
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| "Army officials say 16 patients
exposed to a mismanaged insulin needle program at a military hospital in
Texas have tested positive for hepatitis B or C [virus infection]. The
patients at the William Beaumont Army Medical Center were among more
than 2000 diabetics who may have been exposed to blood-borne illnesses
because multiple patients were given injections from the same insulin
pen. Officials at the Army hospital at Fort Bliss have said it's unclear
if the patients contracted hepatitis from the injections that were
performed from August 2007 to January 2009..." |
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With More Deaths, Hepatitis Toll Now 43 |
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| Hindu Times |
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| February 24, 2009 |
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| "The toll in the hepatitis-hit
Sabarkantha district climbed to 43 with the report of 5 new deaths.
Meanwhile, state health department launched a mass vaccination drive in
Modasa town on Monday. According to district health officials, 6 new
cases of hepatitis have been registered on Monday from Modasa town and
nearby villages. The officials said that people of all ages had queued
up since morning to get themselves vaccinated..." |
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Weighing the Options for Hepatitis B |
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| New York Times |
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| February 22, 2009 |
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| The decisive scientific battle
against hepatitis B has been won. Thanks to a vaccine approved in the
1980s, transmission of this potentially deadly virus can now be stopped.
In countries where the vaccine is widely used, the series of three shots
has almost completely halted the spread from infected mothers to their
infants, one of the most common routes of transmission, and the one most
likely to lead to chronic infection and serious liver disease. The
vaccine has also significantly reduced transmission between adults. |
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Give Babies Hepatitis B Vaccine, Urges Mac Professor |
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| The Hamilton Spectator (CAN) |
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| February 10, 2009 |
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| "McMaster University researchers are
urging Canada to adopt universal hepatitis B immunization in infancy. A
comprehensive new analysis of existing studies supports the hepatitis B
vaccination for all Canadian babies, says Dr. Christopher Mackie, an
assistant professor of clinical epidemiology and biostatistics at Mac
and the associate Medical Officer of Health at Hamilton Public Health
Services. Mackie and his Mac colleagues, as well as researchers at the
University of British Columbia who helped carry out the analysis, also
noted that B.C. medical data show the success of that province's infancy
vaccination program... " |
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Hepatitis Outbreaks Linked to Poor Infection Control |
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| American Medical News |
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| January 20, 2009 |
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| "A study by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) published in the Jan. 6 issue of the Annals
of Internal Medicine says that 60,000 patients were urged to get tested
for hepatitis B and hepatitis C infections and 448 people were infected
in 33 outbreaks in outpatient settings over the last 10 years.
Researchers blame healthcare personnel for not following basic
infection-control practices, citing cases in which syringes were reused
or patients came in contact with contaminated equipment and devices. The
study indicates that the outbreaks were preventable and underscores the
importance of ongoing professional education and state oversight..." |
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Merck Reports Shortage of Hepatitis B Vaccine |
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| Philadelphia Inquirer |
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| January 6, 2009 |
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| "Merck has announced that there will
be a shortage of the hepatitis B vaccine Recombivax HB, but the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention says GlaxoSmithKline is producing
enough of its hepatitis B vaccine for adults to make up for any
shortfall. Upgrades at its West Point plant are behind Merck's
production problems, and spokeswoman Amy Rose adds that it expects to
meet demand again for the adult vaccine in a timely manner..." |
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| Link Between Vaccine and MS Unproven |
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| HealthDay News-Washington Post |
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| September 30, 2008 |
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| "Children vaccinated against hepatitis B probably are not at an increased risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) unless they were inoculated with a particular brand of the vaccine, according to a new study. The French study found that children with MS were almost twice as likely to have received the vaccine called Engerix B three or more years before the disease's onset. Further studies will need to be done to determine whether the vaccine is a direct cause of the development of MS. The study, which involved 349 children with MS and 2,941 children without the disease, is to be published in the Oct. 8 online issue of Neurology..." |
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| Angered Patients Vent to Lawmakers Over Hepatitis Scare |
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| Las Vegas Eyewitness News |
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| March 25, 2008 |
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| "Victims of medical negligence were given a voice Monday night in front of state lawmakers. One by one their stories were told -- from fear to confirmation that some were among the patients that did contract hepatitis C From a clinic that practiced poor procedures..." |
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