A patient went for dental work at a health clinic. He left with HIV, Texas lawsuit says
A patient was infected with HIV and two others contracted hepatitis C because of poor sanitation and sterilization at a public health clinic in Texas, a lawsuit says.
The patients went to clinics operated by the Galveston County Health District for dental procedures and later tested positive for the diseases, according to the federal lawsuit filed Wednesday. Galveston County is just south of Houston.
In 2018, officials announced up to 9,500 dental patients could have been exposed to hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV after inspectors found poor sanitation and sterilization at the Coastal Health & Wellness clinics operated by the health district, the Galveston County Daily News reported.
“Hepatits B, hepatitis C and HIV are serious medical conditions,” Dr. Philip Keiser with the Galveston County Local Health Authority said in a news release two years ago. “People who are infected may not exhibit any symptoms of the disease for many years, so that is why it is important to get tested and treated.”
The infected patients received dental care at the facility, undergoing “deep cleaning” that involved removing plaque and tartar from their teeth and gums, the lawsuit says. Another had a tooth extracted at the clinic, according to the lawsuit.
All three found out they were positive for the diseases after undergoing testing, according to the lawsuit.
One of the plaintiffs died last year. She’s being represented by her heirs. Alton Todd, the attorney representing the patients, didn’t respond to an email Thursday asking whether the woman died as a result contracting hepatitis C.
The Galveston County Health District declined to comment.
Hepatitis C is a liver infection that for some may be a short-term illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But a majority of those infected will have long-term, chronic infection that can result in death, the CDC says.
HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, attacks the body’s immune system and may result in AIDS if not treated, according to the CDC.
The plaintiffs are each seeking $5 million in damages.
“(The) plaintiffs have suffered great physical pain and mental anguish in the past, and in all reasonable medical probability, will continue to suffer permanent physical pain and mental anguish into the future, if not for their natural lives,” the lawsuit says.
This story was originally published February 27, 2020 at 1:07 PM.