Sara Weir of B&D; Consulting, along with Evelyn Knight of HONOReform, will be presenting at the AHRA's Annual Conference on Monday, August 23, at 6 p.m. The session, entitled "Tip of the Iceberg: Healthcare Associated Hepatitis Outbreaks," will discuss the problems facing patients that have contracted HCV through failed health care provider safe injection practices techniques.

In the last few years, some 150,000 patients have been urged to get tested for hepatitis and HIV after seeking health care for routine preventative services or treatments for unrelated issues, because a health care provider failed to properly follow safe injection practices. Hepatitis outbreaks result in large public health notifications and facility closures, and according to a recent article published by the CDC in 2010, in a 10-year period, 448 recognized cases of HBV or HCV infections were recognized.

This session highlights a patient's story in contracting HCV through health care and provides an overview of a number of recent health care associated transmission outbreaks. In this session, attendees also will learn how reuse of syringes and misuse of medication vials and containers can lead to patient to patient transmission of bloodborne pathogens, and identify characteristics of large-scale health care associated outbreaks.

To learn more about this conference, please click here.