Incident 40114
Incident 40114
An investigation identified a health care worker who was diverting injectable narcotics for personal use as the likely source of 13 hepatitis C virus infections in an ED in Washington state.
“Drug diversion can be defined as any act or deviation that removes a prescription drug from its intended path from the manufacturer to the patient,” Henry N. Njuguna, MBChB, MPH, a CDC Epidemic Intelligence Officer with the Washington State Department of Health, said. “Health care providers with drug addiction many times inject patients’ drugs for personal use. Cases of drug diversion and infection transmission to patients by heath care providers have been reported.”
Following two reports of acute HCV infection in patients without known risk factors, Washington state began an investigation and identified a woman who had treated both patients and tested positive for HCV antibodies. According to Njugna and colleagues, the woman accessed the automated drug dispensing system more frequently compared with other staff and admitted diverting injectable narcotics, as well as antihistamines, for personal use.
Where the Diversion Occurred:
Washington, US
Type of Healthcare Facility:
Hospital
Patients were injured. Were they infected, filed lawsuits, or died as a result of this diversion incident?
Infection
Has the incident been reported?
e.g. to local law enforcement, county board of health, state licensure board, and/or federal DEA or FDA authorities?
Yes
To whom has the incident been reported?
Other Reporting Organization(s)
