Ogden, Utah-based McKay-Dee Hospital mailed letters Friday to 4,800 people who may have been in contact with a nurse or patient infected with hepatitis C between June 2013 and November 2014, according to a news release.
The nurse, Elet Neilson, was fired from the hospital in November 2014 after she admitted to stealing emergency department drugs intended for patient use, according to information the hospital released on Friday. In September 2014, the Utah Department of Health informed McKay-Dee that a patient being treated in the hospital's emergency department and Ms. Neilson were both infected with the same hepatitis C genotype and that the two infections might be related.
The 2b genotype, found in both the nurse and patient, is rare, accounting for only 10 percent of cases, McKay-Dee spokesperson Chris Dallin told the Salt Lake Tribune.
The hospital identified every patient who may have come into contact with Ms. Neilson or the infected patient out of an abundance of caution, Mr. Dallin told the Tribune. He also said it is possible that most patients receiving care at that time were not at risk, and that it is possible no patients were infected.
The investigation is ongoing and McKay-Dee representatives told the Standard Examiner that any patients who may have contracted the infection would have their treatment paid for by the hospital. The Utah Department of Health has set up a web page for updates on the investigation.