More Hepatitis B Cases Linked to NJ Oncology Office

Thousands more patients who received cancer treatments from a New Jersey physician are being advised to get blood tests to determine whether they contracted hepatitis B or other dangerous blood disorders as a result of unsanitary conditions at the doctor’s office.

Dr. Parvez Dara of Toms River, N.J. has been under investigation since earlier this year, when health officials said five former patients had tested positive for hepatitis B. Officials now say there are at least 29 cases of the liver disease linked to Dara’s office, not counting another 68 who tested positive for certain antibodies but cannot be definitively tied to the outbreak stemming from the doctor’s office.

About 1,400 current and former patients have been tested so far, state health officials said, according to an Associated Press report.

About 3,000 former patients were previously advised about the risks of infection and told to get blood tests. Now, another 2,000 patients treated by Dara have been sent letters urging them to be tested for hepatitis and other diseases. Some of the patients had received the earlier letter advising them to get a blood test, but had failed to do so, officials said.

Inspection Sparks Scandal

The hepatitis scandal erupted in March after an inspection of Dara’s office by New Jersey health inspectors. Officials reportedly discovered unsanitary conditions, including blood on examination rooms and in bins where blood vials were stored, as well as unsterile storage of gauze and saline. There also were problems cited regarding cross-contamination from refrigerators and examination room countertops, improper use of antiseptics, and other health code violations, the AP reports.

Some of the problems date back to 2002, health officials said.

County health inspectors sent a letter to Dara’s patients in March telling them about the findings and warning them about the risks of developing serious liver diseases hepatitis B and hepatitis C as well as HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

Patient Lawsuit Filed

Last month, one former patient sued Dara accusing the doctor of infecting him with hepatitis during cancer treatments in 2008 and 2009. Roland Jacobsen says he contracted hepatitis B after being treated for prostate cancer at the physician’s office.

Dara has practiced medicine in Toms River office for 23 years and has been a licensed oncologist in New Jersey since 1980. During those years, he saw between 45 and 60 patients a day, with about a dozen receiving chemotherapy each day, officials said.

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