Patients At South Jersey Hospital May Have Been Exposed To HIV Or Hepatitis: Officials

As many as 213 patients may have been exposed to HIV or hepatitis B or C because of drug tampering, officials at a N.J. hospital said.

Officials are investigating whether patients who NBCPhiladelphia says received intravenous medications at the hospital between June 1, 2013 and Sept. 17, 2014 contracted the diseases, according to officials at Shore Medical Center in Somers Point.

The hospital says these patients who received morphine or hydromorphone may have come into contact with an employee’s blood as the result of drug tampering, according to the report.

“We have contacted all patients who received certain intravenous medication between June 1, 2013 and Sept. 17, 2014,” according to a hospital statement published by NBC Philadelphia. “We are providing free testing and support through every step and are partnering with local health department agencies during this testing period in order to be extremely cautious.”

Patch’s attempts to reach out to the hospital were unsuccessful at press time.

An internal investigation at the Shore Medical Center, as well as an investigation by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, alleged that Frederick P. McLeish had tampered with drugs between July 1 and Sept. 27, 2014 , according to The Press of Atlantic City.

Hospital officials then issued a letter to patients, saying the drug tampering may have caused them to come in contact with an employee’s blood. The hospital is asking patients to get tested if they were treated with those drugs at the hospital during that period, as well as a full year prior, according to the report.

The state Department of Health is working with Shore Medical Center to investigate a potential infection control breach at the hospital, Dawn Thomas, state department spokeswoman, told The Press of Atlantic City.

“Although the risk of infection is low, out of an abundance of caution, the Department of Health is recommending that affected patients receive testing for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV,” she told the publication.