An investigation that began last fall has confirmed at least 16 people were infected with hepatitis C at two Utah hospitals. The cases are linked to a healthcare worker formerly employed at both hospitals, according to a release from the Utah Department of Health.
The employee is 49-year-old Elet Neilson, also known as Elet Hamblin, a former nurse who was employed at McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden, Utah, where 15 of the hepatitis C cases were confirmed. Prior to her position at McKay-Dee, Ms. Neilson worked in the emergency department at Davis Hospital in Layton, Utah, where an additional infection has been confirmed.
According to a report from the Desert News, the former nurse was fired from McKay-Dee in 2014 after being confronted with evidence suggesting she'd stolen opioids from the hospital. Intravenous drug use is one of the most prominent ways in which hepatitis C is spread.
In similar cases, healthcare workers have been known to recirculate injection equipment after use to avoid detection. Scott Byington, president of the Utah chapter of the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators, told the Desert News healthcare workers can become skilled at finding weak links in the system, "When they start diverting medication like that, especially in the healthcare arena, they become very, very good at it and covering it up."
"This investigation has been a massive undertaking for both the hospitals and for public health," Angela Dunn, MD, a CDC epidemiologist stationed at the UDOH, said in a department statement. "We commend the hospitals for doing the right thing and ensuring their patients were alerted to the situation and provided free testing and access to treatment where necessary."
According to the health department, approximately 3,700 of the 7,200 patients that may have been exposed have been tested for hepatitis C. Both hospitals will continue to offer free testing to patients notified of their potential exposure.
While the health department was aware of the initial hepatitis C infection as early as November 2014, they closed the investigation before considering a link to local hospitals, according to Dr. Dunn. The case was reopened after the CDC requested local officials look into the possibility of a healthcare-associated infection.
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