No new cases of hepatitis C were found yesterday, the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) said last night, leaving the total number of patients infected at 23.
SGH said that as of 6pm, it had screened 600 patients, 539 of whom tested negative for the virus. One patient had tested positive earlier, and 60 results are pending.
A total of 304 staff members have been screened, of which 303 results were ready. "They were all tested negative. One test result is pending," said SGH.
The hospital announced on Oct 6 that 22 kidney patients had contracted hepatitis C infections while receiving treatment in the hospital from April to June. Eight have died, with five of those deaths possibly linked to the infection.
Patients who stayed at the hospital's wards 64A and 67 from January to June this year were contacted for screening. On Wednesday, SGH announced that one more patient had tested positive.
The patient is currently well and an appointment with a hepatologist to advise the patient and family on treatment options was being arranged.
