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 Sheihk and his employees or contractors may have used vaccine which was not stored properly, out-of-date or not full-strength.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:
Is Mr. Shiekh a radical Muslim, and if so, does he have any ties to any known or suspected terrorist organizations?
Seriously, I do wonder how in the world this could happen. I guess when your doctor is called a "provider" it no longer matters whether or not he or she really is an M.D.
Even if the guy wasn't trying to spread the plague or something of that magnitude, this could have long-ranging implications for a lot of people. It can take things like hepatitis and HIV months and months to show up in blood work. If someone is going to do something like this, whether as a scam or with more evil intent, is he going to bother with little details like proper sanitary procedures?
Scary stuff, from any angle.