Law firm hired for
hepatitis C cases The AssociatedPress
FREMONT -- Some patients of an oncology clinic
where 10 people contracted hepatitis C have hired a law firm to
investigate.
Attorney Jim Davis of Fremont said they have been contacted by both
people treated at the clinic and by family members of former patients
who have died for possible wrongful death lawsuits.
State public health officials sent letters in mid-October to 612
people who received treatment at Dr. Tahir Javed's clinic between
March 1, 2000, and Dec. 31, 2001, asking them to be tested for the
blood-borne pathogen.
At least 430 people were tested before Friday's deadline.
It takes about two weeks for tests to be completed. Those who were
tested early and had negative results have received letters.
If tests come back positive, a confirmation test will be conducted
at an out-of-state clinic before the patient is contacted, said Dr.
Tom Safranek, state epidemiologist.
There was no immediate word on how many positive or negative cases
there were.
No one was in immediate danger, and testing for the disease was
voluntary.
In most patients, hepatitis C has no symptoms. It can cause liver
failure but usually only after 20 years or more, Safranek said.
Investigators suspect the outbreak began with a patient who came to
the clinic with the disease.
ALL INFORMATION, DATA, AND
MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION
PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS
OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR
LEGAL ADVICE. THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND
COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH
YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.
"A foolish faith in authority is the worst enemy of truth."
-- Albert Einstein, letter to a friend, 1901
"I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves, and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education."
-- Thomas Jefferson, letter to William C. Jarvis, September 28, 1820
"What's the point of vaccination if it doesn't protect you from the unvaccinated?"
-- Sandy Gottstein
"Who gets to decide what the greater good is and how many will be sacrificed to it?"