Alberta Health Services is asking former clients of the Calgary Midwives Collective (CMC) to arrange for follow-up testing due to a potential risk of exposure to hepatitis B from improperly sterilized medical equipment.
In a release on Thursday morning, AHS advised those who received prenatal, delivery and/or post-natal care services through the CMC between 2013 and March 2022 to call their physician for testing. They may also call Health Link at 811 to arrange testing or ask any questions.
According to AHS, the breach was discovered during a site inspection prompted by a public masking complaint. This resulted in a lack of confidence in the proper sterilization of medical equipment that was attained.
A closure order was issued to the CMC on March 31 and the owner attended AHS-provided education on proper sterilization practices and how to use single-use disposable medical devices. The CMC was re-opened after the closure order was lifted before it voluntarily closed.
“To prevent the spread of infection from one person to another, medical equipment must be cleaned, disinfected and sterilized according to specific health standards,” said Dr. Francesco Rizzuti, medical officer of health for AHS’ Calgary Zone.
“As the CMC did not fully adhere to these sterilization processes, individuals who received services through this operation may have been exposed to hepatitis B.”
AHS said there is no ongoing risk to the public because the CMC is no longer operational. Although the risk is considered very low, AHS still encourages potentially affected individuals to be tested.
“AHS is working collaboratively with the College of Midwives of Alberta (CMA) to ensure a thorough review of this matter is completed,” Thursday’s release read.
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