11 patients contract Hepatitis C due to lapses at Banqiao clinic: CDC

Taipei, Sept. 2 (CNA) A clinic in New Taipei's Banqiao District has been ordered to temporarily cease operations and fined NT$300,000 (US$9,439) after 11 patients contracted Hepatitis C as a result of medical safety and hygiene lapses, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Wednesday.

Speaking at a press conference, CDC Director-General Lo Yi-chun (羅一鈞) said the agency received a report on Aug. 12 about two family members in Banqiao who had been diagnosed with acute Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections.

After examining the patients' medical records and ordering a viral phylogenetic analysis of their HCV strains, the CDC confirmed on Aug. 17 that both individuals had received nutritional therapy injections at Antai Songhe Clinic (安泰淞鶴診所) in Banqiao, Lo said.

The clinic is located near Far Eastern Memorial Hospital.

On Aug. 24, a third family member, who received nutritional therapy injections at the clinic, was also diagnosed with acute Hepatitis C, while the contacts of the original two patients all tested negative for the virus, Lo said.

CDC and New Taipei Health Department officials conducted an unannounced inspection at the clinic on Aug. 20, and returned on Aug. 26 with infection control experts, Lo said.

Widespread medical safety lapses

During the inspections, officials found multiple failures to adhere to medical hygiene and safety standards, including improper sterilization procedures, failure to sanitize surfaces and failure to wash hands before and after patient contact.

According to the CDC, no sharp object disposal containers were found in the clinic, while needles were left inserted in the rubber stoppers of medication vials in the medical preparation area, allowing for repeated use in drawing medication.

Pre-filled syringes were found in both the medical preparation area and non-treatment areas -- including under a bed in one case -- while medications, blood samples and personal items were stored together in the same refrigerator, the CDC said.

As the CDC learned more, Lo said, it expanded its investigation to include all 150 people diagnosed with acute Heptatitis C in New Taipei City during 2025 and 2026.

It found that eight other individuals had also likely infected after receiving injections at Antai Songhe Clinic, Lo said.

CDC official Li Yen-yi (李彥儀) said the 11 patients with cases tied to the clinic consisted of seven men and four women, aged in their 40s to their 70s, who began experiencing symptoms between Jan. 29 and Aug. 18 this year.

The CDC's preliminary assessment attributes the cluster of infections to "lapses in infection control, and specifically, failures to adhere to safe injection practices," Li said.

Tracing to expand

Given the risk of exposure to other patients at the clinic, Li said, the CDC and New Taipei Health Department decided to expand retrospective contact tracing to include anyone who received an injection at the clinic on or after July 1, 2025.

These individuals will be contacted to take blood tests at New Taipei City public health centers, while those who received injections between April and August of this year will be asked to return for a follow-up test in six months, in order to confirm or rule out infection, Li said.

Of the 1,118 people who received injections at the clinic during this period, the CDC believes as many as 5-10 percent could test positive for Hepatitis C, Lo said.

On Aug. 27, the New Taipei City government ordered the clinic to stop giving injections to patients and imposed a fine of NT$300,000. On Tuesday, the city ordered the clinic to suspend operations until it is found to be in full compliance.

According to the CDC, around 20-30 percent of patients with acute Hepatitis C experience symptoms such as fever, fatigue, abdominal discomfort, nausea or jaundice.

Without treatment, the condition could progress to chronic Hepatitis C, which can lead to serious liver diseases like cirrhosis and liver cancer.

However, oral antiviral treatments for both acute and chronic Hepatitis C are covered by Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) system, and offer excellent cure rates, the CDC said in a press release.