Health care workers at a Las Vegas endoscopy clinic linked to more than 80 cases of hepatitis C routinely mishandled injection equipment and medication vials and often failed to perform basic hand hygiene, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Friday.

The Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada, one of the largest gastroenterology practices in the area, was closed and fined $500,000 after the Nevada State Health Division discovered several cases of hepatitis C that appeared to stem from the clinic earlier this year. Two of the center’s doctors, including its owner, Depak Desai, have been required to stop practicing medicine.

The hepatitis outbreak, one of the largest in the United States, was first reported by the Southern Nevada Health District to the federal agency in early January, the report said. The first seven cases were publicly revealed in February.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/17/us/17c...