Notes from the Field: Hepatitis C Outbreak in a Dialysis Clinic--Tennessee, 2014

MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2016 Jan 1;64(50-51):1386-7. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm6450a5.

Abstract

Outbreaks of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections can occur among hemodialysis patients when recommended infection control practices are not followed (1). On January 30, 2014, a dialysis clinic in Tennessee identified acute HCV in a patient (patient A) during routine screening and reported it to the Tennessee Department of Health. Patient A had enrolled in the dialysis clinic in March 2010 and had annually tested negative for HCV (including a last HCV test on December 19, 2012), until testing positive for HCV antibodies (anti-HCV) on December 18, 2013 (confirmed by a positive HCV nucleic acid amplification test). Patient A reported no behavioral risk factors, but did have multiple health care exposures.

MeSH terms

  • Ambulatory Care Facilities
  • Antibodies, Viral / isolation & purification
  • Disease Outbreaks*
  • Hepacivirus / genetics
  • Hepacivirus / immunology
  • Hepacivirus / isolation & purification
  • Hepatitis C / epidemiology*
  • Hepatitis C / transmission*
  • Humans
  • Infection Control / standards
  • Renal Dialysis / adverse effects*
  • Tennessee / epidemiology

Substances

  • Antibodies, Viral