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Hepatitis infections tied to ex-nurse

Infection Control Monitor, March 28, 2008

In another case of unsafe practices, at least 15 military service members or their family members are believed to have been infected with hepatitis C by a former nurse who authorities suspect was stealing painkilling medication during surgery at an El Paso, TX military hospital.

The nurse, a retired Army Captain, was arrested this month in Miami on federal charges of assaulting three of those patients and possession of a controlled substance by fraud, reported the Associated Press (AP). Prosecutors believe he spread the disease in 2004 during surgeries by diverting fentanyl from patients.

While an almost three-year-long criminal investigation was underway, the nurse continued to work in Texas and at least two other states and Washington, DC, the AP reported.

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