Clinic Caught Reusing Syringes
UPDATE: The problem worsens as health officials find the patient lists are incomplete.
Vegas Hepatitis Exposure List Incomplete
It must be one of the CDC’s worst nightmares and it seems impossible that in this day and age, it could happen. What is it? A clinic in Las Vegas, Nevada, has been discovered to be reusing syringes and vials of medication. What this means to the average person outside of the medical field is that an injection was given, then the syringe (including the needle) after use, was reinserted into the medication vial, and an injection was given to another person.
The risk to patients is potentially fatal. Through this practice, patients would be potentially exposed to hepatitis B and C, and to HIV as well. The beginning of this investigation has revealed that the reuse of needles and vials has been occurring in this clinic for four years. This is also the largest public health investigation in U.S. history.
-
At this point:
- The surgical center has been closed
- Five affiliated clinics have been closed
- Six confirmed cases of hepatitis C have been confirmed
- Thousands of patients will be tested
- 80% of hepatitis C cases are asymptomatic
The reason given by the clinic for reusing needles and vials was to cut costs. The owner of the clinic has declined comment but it is interesting to note that he is a member of the governor’s commission on health care, in the state of Nevada.
“I find it baffling, frankly, that in this day and age anyone would think it was safe to reuse a syringe.”
Michael Bell, Associate Director for Infection C, CDC
The report has made worldwide news and comments abound on health forums. The concensus of opinion is that this practice is without excuse and the harshest penalties as allowed by law, should be imposed on physicians involved in this practice. This scandal, as it can only be considered, not only breaks down the safety of the healthcare system, but destroys the trust the public has in medical facilities and personnel.
With hepatitis C only displaying symptoms in 20% of all cases, any patient seen at one these clinics needs to contact their local public health department, or their own physician (unaffiliated with the clinics in question, of course).
Vegas Clinic May Have Sickened Thousands
More Information Including Clinic Names and Addresses
Rare Diseases and Their Relevance to Public Health
Rare diseases are defined by the population count affected by the disease. For a disease to be considered rare, it must affect 200,000 patients or less in the United States. The European Union defines a rare disease to be one that affects five or less out of 10,000 people.
Rare diseases affect all of us, even if we don’t have the disease ourselves. The issue, as always, is money. Medications and physician time are taken up with these diseases and could be considered as driving up healthcare costs. Generally, for instance, when a pharmaceutical company makes a medication, it is made for hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people. But a rare disease may require an orphan drug and those particular medications are incredibly expensive.
Because of this, in 1983, the U.S. Orphan Drug Act was passed by the U.S. Congress. This provides incentives to the drug companies to continue making the drugs that only a few people take, and thus avoid financial loss in the creation of those medications.
Whether an individual is affected or not, the existence of rare diseases affect the cost of medical care. If an individual does have one of the rare diseases, it is an issue that is up close and personal. Research through the site linked below will provide information to help you understand the role of rare diseases in your life, whether as a victim or as a person learning about the ins-and-outs of medical insurance and how rare diseases affect your healthcare.
Rare Diseases - This is the best and most “user” friendly site on this topic
Listings of Rare Diseases A through Z
What is the NIH?
Ask anyone in the United States what the CDC is, or what the FDA is, and they will most likely be able to tell you. But ask them what the NIH is and you might get a blank stare. The NIH is the National Institute of Health. It is part of the Department of Health & Human Services and they state that they are “The Nation’s Medical Research Agency.” This means that this is the 
firstline agency in the US Government to conduct and sponsor the medical research that determines our healthcare of tomorrow.
The NIH works with a budget of $28 billion and 80% of that goes into medical grants at various colleges and universities in the US and around the world to conduct research. Over 3,000 institutions receive this funding. Another 10% goes to NIH research facilities. The amounts that go to each disease or condition being researched are, of course, a matter of public record and can be found online.
The NIH consists of 27 institutes and centers. Among them the public is probably the most familiar with the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute on Aging, and the National Institute of Mental Health. (Remember “The Secret of NIMH? Yes, that is them!) A complete listing is online.
NIH MISSION
NIH is the steward of medical and behavioral research for the Nation. Its mission is science in pursuit of fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to extend healthy life and reduce the burdens of illness and disability.
That’s a lot of money and a lot of lofty goals. Has the NIH succeeded in their mission? Reading the 2007 recap of research lists some pretty exciting breakthroughs and insights. Medical research is a painstakingly difficult job and each time a conclusion is reached, our odds of a better tomorrow go up. And although they might not do everything right, and who does, they are making strides to discover more about illness and how humanity can live longer and healthier lives.
Certainly an organization worth knowing!
What is the NIH?
Funding for Various Diseases and Conditions
The Institutes and Centers of the NIH
Questions Frequently Asked about the NIH
Photo courtesy of NIH
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Risk High in January
Safety is one of the most important aspects of public health; whether it be home, work, auto, or recreational safety, accidents kill and maim thousands of Americans every year. We all know that most accidents are preventable so being aware of the common hazards that we all face can help reduce the number of deaths each year. Losing a loved one is hard enough; losing one to an accident that could have been prevented is devastating for friends and family.
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Did you know that the most common month to suffer carbon monoxide poisoning is January? “Consumer Reports,” says that two people die each day in January from carbon monoxide poisoning. On the average, 439 people die annually, meaning that on the average 34 people die each month from inhaling the odorless fumes, except in January, which calculates out to 62 during the month.
Alan McMillank, CEO of the National Safety Council, commented that deaths from accidents has risen 12% since the nation’s lowest statistical year of 1992. Worse yet, the evidence shows this trend of increases in deaths will continue. Aging baby boomers are also causing the statistics to rise due to the increase in deaths from falls and unintentional medication overdoses.
“We tend to see our home as our safe haven. The data tell us it’s not.”
Alan McMillan, CEO of the National Safety Council
Accidents are the leading cause of death for people under the age of 44. It is the fifth leading cause of death in people over the age of 45, falling behind heart disease, cancer, stroke, and respiratory disease. It is estimated that accidents cost the United States $625.5 billion annually, using year 2005 statistics.
January Deadliest Month for Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Climactic Changes As A Health Concern?
The Day After Tomorrow was a great science fiction “end-of-the-world” film. Unfortunately, like many disaster films, it is potentially a greater risk of being a possible future than any of us can really wrap our brain around. This topic is also one that we know ecologists and climatologists are working on. But the CDC has taken this to the next level and is concerned not only about global warming, but about climactic changes in general. To that end, the CDC has a special section on their Web site about how climactic changes affect the health of the public.
Although scientific understanding of the effects of climate change is still emerging, there is a pressing need to prepare for potential health risks. This public health preparedness approach is applied to other threats in the absence of complete data, such as terrorism and pandemic influenza. A wide variety of organizations (federal, state, local, multilateral, private and nongovernmental) is working to address the implications of global climate change. Despite this breadth of activity, the public health effects of climate change remain largely unaddressed.
CDC Web Site
It is an interesting site that the CDC has put together. It lists out the potential problems caused by climactic change and then names the populations that would most likely be affected by these climactic events. It clearly illustrates a world that is changing and how the world’s healthcare needs are changing as well.