Six patients of a medical practice in Santa Barbara, Calif., have tested positive for hepatitis C after the practice was closed earlier this month due to infection control concerns.
The practice, run by Allen Thomashefsky, MD, closed after national, state and local agencies investigated it after patients were potentially exposed to hepatitis B, hepatitis C or HIV.
Of the 219 patients who have been tested for those illnesses, six came back positive for hepatitis C. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now testing the blood samples to see if the infections could be previous infections or if they are new and tied to the medical practice. One patient tested positive for hepatitis B, but officials determined it was a prior infection.
The investigation stems from an unannounced site visit to the office that turned up unsafe infection control standards that put patients at risk for bloodborne illnesses. Any patient treated at the practice since June 2014 is eligible for free testing by the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department.