Bill Burge looks back on experience treating hepatitis C patients in letter to editor
Bill Burge, M.D., clinical assistant professor in the Department of Geriatric Medicine and Primary Care, College of Osteopathic Medicine, penned a letter to the editor in the Portland Press Herald about a recent article on the hepatitis C outbreak in Maine. The article pointed to heroin use as the main culprit in the outbreak. In his letter, Burge wrote that tattoo parlors could be another factor in the recent rise in cases of the virus.
“While treating many patients with hepatitis C at a county-funded health clinic in San Antonio, Texas, about 15 years ago, I noticed that many of the younger patients were getting their hepatitis C from tattoos” stated Burge.
Burge questioned whether all tattoo parlors in the state were using fresh needles, and whether all leftover ink was disposed of between clients.