EXETER, NH (NEWS CENTER) - The New Hampshire Attorney General's office is now investigating the Hepatitis C outbreak at Exeter Hospital.
The office said in a statement:
"In response to numerous media inquiries regarding the Hepatitis C outbreak at the Exeter Hospital, Attorney General Michael A. Delaney announces that his office has commenced an investigation into the facts and circumstances surrounding the outbreak of patients who were treated at the hospital. The Attorney General's Office has worked and continues to work with the Exeter Police Department and the New Hampshire State Police to determine what, if any, criminal laws have been violated in regard to the outbreak.
New Hampshire's public health director says officials suspect an Exeter Hospital employee miss using drugs as the cause to the Hepatitis C outbreak from their Cardiac Cath Lab.
Dr. Jose Montero says the ongoing investigation points toward "drug diversion" which generally involves someone using a syringe to inject medication meant for someone else and then re-using the syringe on patients.
A total of 20 people have been diagnosed with the same strain of Hep-C, a virus that destroys the liver. Montero would not comment on the specific employee or say whether police are involved in the investigation.