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November 29, 2011

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Dirty needle suspected in outbreak of hepatitis

AN outbreak of hepatitis C among 56 children is thought to have been caused by the use of unsterilized syringe needles at a private clinic in central China's Henan Province.

The infected children, from Dacheng Town in neighboring Anhui Province, all received injections at Miaoqian Village clinic, according to a preliminary investigation by the Anhui health administration, Xinhua news agency reported yesterday.

Angry parents claimed doctors used a single syringe needle for dozens of children without sterilizing it, according to Star News.

Several villages in Guoyang County, Anhui, use the clinic, which is on the border between the provinces, the mother of a two-year-old infected boy, surnamed Chen, told the newspaper.

Five-year-old Hengheng was the first to be diagnosed with hepatitis after a routine check-up two weeks ago. He was transferred to a hospital in the provincial capital, Hefei, last week, the newspaper said.

His father, Zhang Yinping, said the boy could not sleep and cried at night. "His hands have swelled up with days of drips," he added.

The infected children are being treated at hospitals in Hefei, Beijing, Shanghai and Nanjing.

Hepatitis C is an infectious disease affecting the liver. There may be no obvious symptoms but it can lead to liver failure or even liver cancer. It is spread by blood-to-blood contact.




 

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