Feds Probe ND Hepatitis C Cases

MINOT, N.D. (AP) — State and federal health officials are investigating a cluster of hepatitis C cases in Ward County centered around a Minot nursing home.

The North Dakota Department of Health says three cases initially were identified in August. Since then, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has linked four additional cases to the first three. Samples from 28 more people have been sent to the CDC to be tested.

All of the cases involve people who are 60 or older, and are former or current residents of ManorCare Health Services.

Hepatitis C is a viral infection that can cause serious liver damage or even death. Some people who get it recover, but most carry the virus in their blood for a lifetime and develop chronic infection.