The Ministry of Health and Welfare yesterday confirmed that five people have contracted acute Hepatitis C after receiving injections at a Taoyuan clinic that had been using recycled needles.
The ministry is monitoring 1,200 other people who visited Weilien Clinic in Yangmei District (楊梅) over the past 11 months, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said.
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) official Yang Ching-hui (楊靖慧) on Tuesday said that the five people were recently diagnosed with Hepatitis C.
Photo courtesy of the Taoyuan Department of Public Health.
A review of their health records showed that the five had visited Weilien Clinic and received injections, Yang said.
Aside from recycling needles, the clinic had not followed proper procedures to separate used and new stocks, the CDC said.
The Taoyuan Department of Public Health on Thursday last week ordered the clinic to halt all intravenous therapy drip and injection services.
It also seized 11 boxes containing 28 types of injectable medicines, as well as the medical records of people who had visited the clinic from June 10 last year to Friday last week, Chen said.
He urged all people who had visited and received injections at the clinic during this period to contact the department as soon as possible.
The ministry and the city government will provide aid to people who need further medical assistance because of the incident, he said.
A nurse at the clinic, Chen Jui-jung (陳瑞蓉), allegedly said it was her idea to reuse the needles, adding that the clinic’s 89-year-old doctor, Lee Wei-chen (李維臣), was not aware of the matter.
Chen Shih-chung said the ministry has suspended the clinic’s operations for three months and forwarded the case to the judiciary.
The clinic’s doctor and pharmacist might also be charged, pending the results of an investigation, he added.
Three out of the five people who contracted Hepatitis C have said they would sue the clinic and seek compensation.
People with Hepatitis C may experience symptoms such as fever, fatigue and nausea, Taipei Veterans General Hospital Taoyuan branch doctor Chan Che-chang (詹哲彰) said.
Hepatitis C has a 70 to 80 percent chance of turning into chronic hepatitis, Chan said.
The virus is spread through blood contact, Yang said, adding that individuals should refrain from unprotected sex and sharing razors, toothbrushes, nail cutters and other personal items.
Additional reporting by Chen Yun, Lin Hui-chin
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source