The medical practice of Allen Thomashefsky, MD, was closed in April after patients were potentially exposed to hepatitis C and other bloodborne illnesses. As of June 5, seven patients have been identified as having a new hepatitis C diagnosis, and five of them had injection procedures at Dr. Thomashefsky’s office on the same day.
Molecular genetic test results, performed at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, show that the virus from those five patients have a “significant degree of relatedness.” Those results, along with observed improper infection control protocol at the office, led the SBCPHD to conclude that hepatitis C virus transmission happened in the medical office.
The SBCPHD is still encouraging Dr. Thomashefsky’s patients to be tested for bloodborne illnesses, regardless of when they were treated at his practice.
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