Dental patients of an Orillia clinic could have contracted HIV, hep B and C
Posted June 20, 2018 2:00 pm.
Last Updated June 20, 2018 2:48 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Public health officials in Orillia are recommending patients of a local dental clinic get checked for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV after two people tested positive for one of the viruses.
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit says two people tested positive for hepatitis C after an investigation found patients may have been exposed to dental instruments that weren’t properly cleaned and sterilized.
It’s recommending people who received dental services at the clinic previously called Joe Philip and Associates, located at 18 Wyandotte St., between Jan. 1, 2012 and Dec. 18, 2017 discuss possible testing for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV.
The agency says improper cleaning, disinfection and sterilization of medical and dental instruments can spread infectious diseases such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV to patients.
But it notes that the risk of infection with disease in this situation is low.
