Officials: 12 Hepatitis Cases Linked to Heart Clinic

(Newser) – Officials have investigated at least 12 cases of hepatitis linked to a heart clinic in West Virginia, the AP reports. The viruses have been linked to injectable medications given during cardiac stress tests at the Raleigh Heart Clinic. Eight patients receiving cardiac stress tests have tested positive for hepatitis C and four others have tested positive for hepatitis B, said Allison Adler, director of communications for the Department of Health and Human Resources. Adler said there has been no evidence of HIV transmission. The investigation started in November 2014, after a patient with no risk factors for hepatitis C was diagnosed with the virus.

State Health Commissioner Dr. Rahul Gupta said Thursday that during inspections, Department of Health and Human Resources investigators witnessed several areas of improvement for the clinic. Gupta said the extent of how many individuals were exposed to the pathogens is unknown. Officials are now urging about 2,300 patients of the Raleigh Heart Clinic to be tested for hepatitis B and C as well as HIV. A class-action lawsuit has been filed against the clinic on behalf of patients who had cardiac stress tests.