Exeter Town Hall Forum Held to Discuss Exeter Hospital Hepatitis C Outbreak

As 20 people have now been confirmed to have contracted the hepatitis C virus from the cardiac catheterization lab at Exeter Hospital, approximately 100 people gathered to hear hepatitis C expert Dr. Robert Chung speak about the potentially deadly virus. Health officials expect the number of those infected to rise in the coming weeks as more test results become known. Also, state health officials now suspect that the source of the outbreak was a drug-seeking employee.
As I mentioned in an interview with New Hampshire Public Radio, it’s inconceivable how hospital employee drug testing is not mandatory. Exeter Representative Lee Quandt has vowed to file legislation to make such drug testing mandatory. Of course, that won’t help those who’ve been infected with hepatitis C at Exeter Hospital.