Edmonton dentist tests positive for hepatitis B
18.06.2008 20:01
Health
- Source: cbc.ca
Public health officials are contacting 1,400 patients of an Edmonton dentist after he tested positive for hepatitis B, Capital Health said Tuesday.  Public health officials are contacting 1,400 patients of Edmonton dentist Dr. Byron Wong after he tested positive for hepatitis B.(CBC)The dentist, identified as Dr. Byron Wong, 37, has voluntarily stopped his practice, and is co-operating with the health authority to ensure all patients are contacted, Dr. Jonathan Skuba, president of the Alberta Dentist Association and College, told a news conference Tuesday afternoon. Wong approached the college in February, immediately after he was told of the positive test, Skuba said. Wong has been practising in Edmonton since 2001. "The risk to patients is very small," Dr. Gerry Predy, medical officer of health, told a news conference Tuesday.  Dr. Gerry Predy says the risk of infection to Byron Wong's patients is very small.(CBC)"We did a risk analysis of the potential risk of this dentist transmitting the effect to his patient, and the risk is very small. We estimate somewhere 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 100,000, probably close to the 1 in 100,000 figure." Hepatitis B has been part of the province's school immunization program since the mid-1990s, so most people aged up to the mid-20s should be protected, Predy said. Officials even debated whether to issue a public warning because the risk is so small, but in the end, they concluded people would want to know, Predy said. Capital Health will start contacting Wong's 1,400 patients in the near future to offer them hepatitis B tests, a process that was expected to take a couple of months. Story Tools: E-MAIL | PRINT | Text Size: SMLXL | REPORT TYPO | SEND YOUR FEEDBACKHealth Headlines4.1 million Canadians without family doctor: StatsCanA new report from Statistics Canada says an estimated 4.1 million Canadians aged 12 or older are without a family doctor.TV viewing, computer use linked to obesity: StatsCanCanadian adults who spend hours a day watching television or sitting in front of a computer are more likely to be obese, according to a new Statistics Canada study.U.S. firm hopes to end need for vitamin B12 shotsCapsules could some day replace intramuscular injections for people with vitamin B12 deficiency, a U.S. company says.Cancer risk reduced by 80% after bariatric surgery, McGill study findsA new study suggests that morbidly obese patients who have surgery to reduce their stomach size also lower their risk of developing cancer by about 80 per cent.Absence of single protein can reduce risk of heart disease: studyU.S. researchers say they're closer to finding out how to dampen the inflammatory response that can lead to heart disease if left unchecked. Health FeaturesVIDEOHuman bodyA not-so-virtual tour (2:40)IN DEPTHStem cellsResearch fraught with controversyHEALTH & FITNESSPeter HadzipetrosFit to be downtownCANADA ABROADHospital of hopeHealthVitamin DBoning up on the sunshine vitaminPeople who read this also read …
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