Las Vegas Man Accused Of Posing As Doctor (Muslim terrorism not being reported by the media?)

He's given hundreds of flu shots over the past few months, but health officials say he isn't a doctor and they still don't know exactly what he's been injecting. It's a story you saw First on News 3. Shahid Shiekh is under police investigation after shutting down one of his clinics in Washington State. News 3 has learned that Shiekh has also operated an office in Henderson. News 3's Kori Chambers is digging deeper.

It's still unclear whether this phony doctor fooled any Las Vegans. We spoke with Shiekh's attorney and asked him point blank whether the man was giving injections here in Las Vegas. He would not comment, but if you log on to Shiekh's web site, you might think he was, with four providers listed in Las Vegas and Henderson. We called all four, and none of them knew who he was.

"There was no, apparently no process for validating his credentials. Anyone could have come in with that attire and that demeanor and injected whatever into us." Domingue thinks his family is one of hundreds across the west coast that might have been fooled. "He was a very pleasant, very nice. He put your fears at ease, but I still was a little uneasy."

Their step daughter is still running a fever after getting an a flu shot back in October. They think problem was the doctor, or rather, the man they thought was a doctor giving the vaccine. Shahid Shiekh is not licensed to be giving the flu vaccine, but Washington health officials believe that he was. His lawyer wouldn't tell us whether he was giving any of the vaccine here in the valley.

We have learned that Shiekh has been acting as broker between health care providers and Las Vegas companies, even into this year, but that's not illegal in itself, because he wasn't providing flu shots. Washington health officials are just beginning their investigation into whether Shiekh took a much more active role there.

Since Shiekh was giving flu shots to patients in Washington, the obvious question many of you might be having right now is, 'How can I know I'm getting the flu shot from a qualified person?' We talked to the Clark County Health District, who says there are four types of medical professionals who are legally allowed to give shots. They include a physician, a physician's assistant, a licensed practical nurse, and a pharmacist. Registered nurses and nurse practitioners may also be able to give flu shots. To make sure your doctor is licensed, use the web site above.

This link has some info about the WA case, but you'll notice his name has the 'Shiekh' transposed to 'Sheikh', accidentally we suppose.

Questions and answers about vaccinations given by unlicensed providers in Washington State from October through December 2003

Questions and answers about vaccinations given by unlicensed providers in Washington State from October through December 2003

When did this happen?
From October through December 2003, flu shots were given to people in Washington by Shahid Sheikh of Bellevue, Washington. Mr. Sheikh is not licensed to give vaccinations and is not licensed in Washington to provide health care. Mr. Sheihk and his employees or contractors may have used vaccine which was not stored properly, out-of-date or not full-strength.

Where did the vaccinations occur?
Mr. Sheikh and his employees provided vaccinations at his office, MedSources, Inc. located at 1611 116th Avenue, Mailstop 108, Bellevue, WA and at numerous locations in Washington, many of which were worksites. Mr. Sheikh and his employees are not known to have provided vaccinations at pharmacies or licensed practitioners’ offices.

How do I know if I received a flu shot from these unlicensed vaccinators?
If you were vaccinated by Shahid Sheikh, his employees, or contractors for MedSources Inc. at the MedSources Inc. office in Bellevue, or at other locations from October through December 2003, you may have been vaccinated by someone who does not have the proper training or license to give vaccine. If you were vaccinated at your workplace or another location, ask your employer or sponsor of the vaccination clinic about the people who gave you your vaccine. If you were vaccinated by your regular healthcare provider or at a pharmacy, then you were vaccinated by a licensed person.

Will vaccinations given by Mr. Sheikh and MedSources protect me against the flu?
We don’t know if all the vaccine used by Mr. Sheikh was good vaccine. Because of this, we don’t know if these vaccinations will protect someone against the flu. People who received flu shots from Mr. Sheikh or at any of his MedSources Inc. clinics could safely receive another flu shot if they wish, but the vaccine is scarce and most doses are currently being reserved for people at risk for serious flu infection. Influenza activity has slowed in our state recently, but the season typically lasts through March.

Should I be worried about any risks to my health if I was vaccinated by Mr. Sheikh or MedSources?
Healthcare providers who are licensed have been trained to give injections and use standard safeguards to prevent the spread of infection from person-to-person during vaccination. We don’t know if Mr. Sheikh or his employees were trained in good injection techniques or infection control. There is a possibility that standard sterile medical procedures were not used, and this could potentially result in a risk for infections at the vaccination site or even spread of viruses in the blood from one person to another. But the risk of these things happening to any one person who was vaccinated is very, very small.

Because the risk of problems from Mr. Sheikh’s practices is believed to be extremely low, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) and local public health officials, after consultation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are not recommending any special measures for persons vaccinated by Shahid Sheikh or MedSources, Inc.

What should I do if I am concerned about the possibility of infection from the vaccination?
It is very important to understand that the risk of problems related to Mr. Sheikh’s practices is believed to be extremely low. However, if you are worried about the possibility of infection related to the vaccination, discuss your concerns with your health care provider. They will tell you that you can be tested for virus infections that can be spread through blood, including hepatitis B, hepatitis C and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). If these tests are done, they should be repeated again in 6 months for a final result.

What else is being done about this situation? Public health and law enforcement investigations are ongoing, including efforts to determine what how the vaccine was handled, what vaccination and infection control practices were used. Public health personnel will attempt to contact persons who have been identified by the ongoing investigation as having been vaccinated by Mr. Sheikh and MedSources, Inc. to provide information.

For further information and updates:

Snohomish Health District: www.snohd.org; Main Clinic 425.339.5220; Communicable Disease program, 425.339.5278

Washington State Department of Health: www.doh.wa.gov; Communicable Disease Epidemiology 206.361.2914; 877.539.4344

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web sites:
Hepatitis B and C:
HIV:

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