Public health officials are investigating after six people who visited the same clinic in the Carthay neighborhood of Los Angeles contracted acute cases of hepatitis C.
Around 500 letters have been sent to warn patients who were treated at the Westside Multispecialty Medical Group — located at 6200 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1212 — that they may have been exposed to the virus, the L.A. County Department of Public Health said in a news release.
Officials said anyone who received injections, infusions or other procedures at the facility between January 2016 and December 2018 should be tested for hepatitis C. The tests can be obtained for free at Department of Public Health clinics.
Public Health recommends patients also be tested for hepatitis B and HIV, since they can also spread via contact with blood.
“Testing is important as many patients who develop these infections do not develop any symptoms, but there are steps people can take to treat the infections, protect their health, and prevent giving infections to others,” officials said.
Investigators are still working to determine how the virus was transmitted in the six cases that have been identified.
“The patients infected with hepatitis C received procedures at this clinic and did not report other forms of blood-to-blood contact,” the news release states. “Hepatitis C virus is usually transmitted through blood-to-blood contact, such as during IV drug use or as a result of lapses in infection control procedures in healthcare settings.”
Westside Multispecialty Medical Group agreed to shut down while a probe is conducted, officials said.
Additional information can be found on the Department of Public Health’s website or by calling 213-288-8787.