Roughly two months after two Utah hospitals began warning roughly 7,200 patients of possible exposure to hepatitis C, the CDC has confirmed an undisclosed number of patients have tested positive for the disease.
A CDC official and the Utah Department of Health have confirmed positive test results among that pool of 7,200 former patients. Exact numbers will be released once the investigation is completed, according to a KSL report.
At the end of October 2015, McKay-Dee Hospital mailed letters to patients who may have been exposed to hepatitis C after a former nurse and a patient tested positive for the virus. In November, a second hospital — Davis Hospital and Medical Center in Layton, Utah — was linked to the outbreak, as the nurse in question had been caught stealing intravenous drugs while working there, according to KSL.
According to KSL, 4,800 McKay-Dee Hospital patients and 2,369 Davis Hospital patients received warning letters regarding possible exposure.
The exposure period at Davis Medical Center was from June 2011 to April 2014. The exposure period at McKay-Dee Hospital was from June 2014 to November 2014.
Both McKay-Dee and Davis hospitals are offering free hepatitis C tests to patients who may have been affected in this outbreak. Tests are offered through Jan. 31.