Baltimore, MD – July 20, 2012 - The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) has been notified that a hepatitis C-infected health care worker, David Matthew Kwiatkowski, who was arrested in New Hampshire yesterday for illegally obtaining controlled substances and potentially infecting at least 30 individuals with the hepatitis C virus at a hospital in New Hampshire, had previously worked in Maryland from 2008-2010.
He may have exposed patients during his employment in four Maryland hospitals. The hospitals will notify those patients who underwent certain procedures with instructions for follow-up.
The four hospitals facilities where Mr. Kwiatkowski is known to have worked are: the Baltimore Veterans Affairs Medical Center (May 2008 – November 2008); Southern Maryland Hospital (December 2008 – February 2009); Johns Hopkins Hospital (July 2009 – January 2010); and Maryland General Hospital (January 2010 – March 2010).
This is an ongoing investigation. DHMH will continue to work with hospitals in Maryland as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Hepatitis C is a bloodborne viral infection, estimated to infect 1.6 percent of the U.S. population. It can cause inflammation of the liver that may lead to chronic health issues. Hepatitis C can be detected with blood tests and can be treated with antiviral medications.
For questions and information about hepatitis C, please visit the DHMH website at http://ideha.dhmh.maryland.gov/SitePages/Hepatitis-C.aspx or the CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/HCV/index.htm .
