USA Population Positive for HCV
 

The largest public health patient notification in the history of the USA occurred this year, FY 2008. Public health sent in excess of 70,000, letters warning of possible HCV exposure from unsafe medical practices involving several clinics.[11]  Following a joint investigation with the Nevada State Bureau of Licensure and Certification (BLC) and with consultation from the CDC, identified the re-use of syringes (not needles) and the use of single dose vials of anesthesia medication on multiple patients, as the potential sources of contamination.

The Southern Nevada Health District reported that 200 people are testing positive daily in public health departments. [12]  Ironically, the head of the CDC, Julia Louise Gerberding says; "The outbreak of HCV may represent the tip of an iceberg” of safety problems at clinics around the country". [13]

After similar outbreaks in New York, the FDA has rejected that state's request to ban multidose vials[14], saying the vials are critical in hospital use. [15]  The CDC says, "Use all vials labeled as "single-use" for one patient and entered one time only". "Assign medications packaged as multidose to a single patient whenever possible." [16]

Multidose vials fail in comparison to the impertinence for standard procedures. The World Health Organization states, "The only means of protection from the Hepatitis C virus are the implementation universal precautions and safe injection practices." Nation-wide, from 2004-2008, tens of thousand medical exposures to HCV have occurred with an undetermined number of positive infections because of policy differences. Medical exposures surpass any other risk factor for HCV infections.[17]

HCV Harm Reduction Grants