A top public hospital in Singapore has issued an "unreserved" apology to all its patients and their families following a hepatitis C outbreak in the renal ward, of which 22 patients were diagnosed and at least 4 patients with multiple conditions had already died. At least 19 of those infected were transplant patients between the ages of 24 to 70.
In a press briefing on Tuesday, Oct 6, the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) discovered the outbreak after a major spike of hepatitis C cases in the hospital. Hepatitis C, a chronic disease caused by a virus that attacks the liver, affects only a very small percentage of the country's population. Hence, they see at least 2 infections annually. However, it went up to five in only a few weeks this year.
The hospital team is trying to investigate the source of the infection, although they had already ruled out the dialysis machines after they conducted a thorough analysis. Currently, they are looking into the intravenous treatment, particularly the multi-dose vials containing insulin, of which the contents are shared among patients. They are also figuring out how the disease spread quickly since the virus that causes hepatitis C generally isn't easy to spread and dies quickly when exposed.
The team is also now reaching out to more than 400 patients that had been admitted to the hospital from the beginning of the year to June, when the viral infection was discovered, for a hepatitis C screening. Moreover, although four patients who died were diagnosed with other health conditions, the hospital is not ruling out the possibility the virus may have contributed to their demise.
The hospital, according to its Ang Chong Lye, its chief executive officer, is committed to reviewing all its processes and determining the actual cause of the infection to avoid recurrence. The Ministry of Health, on the other hand, is forming its own committee to conduct an investigation on the hospital, making sure SGH is taking all the measures necessary to avoid the incident and is conducting an objective review process.