Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (hereafter referred to as CDC) said today (the 2nd) that the agency received a report on August 12, 2026 (year 115 of the Republic of China calendar) of two confirmed cases of acute viral hepatitis C (referred to as acute C hepatitis) in Banqiao District, New Taipei City. The two cases were from the same family. Health authorities immediately launched an epidemiological investigation, applied for viral phylogenetic analysis the next day (8/13), and requested the reporting medical institution to provide case summaries. On August 17 it was confirmed that both cases had visited the “An Tai Song He Clinic” in Banqiao District, New Taipei City, multiple times for nutritional injections, suggesting a possible iatrogenic acute C hepatitis cluster, and therefore further cluster investigation was initiated. During the investigation, another family member was reported on August 24 after seeking medical care for symptoms and being diagnosed with acute C hepatitis; this person had also recently visited the clinic multiple times for nutritional injections. The remaining two family members who were contacts tested negative.
In response to this incident, on August 20 the CDC, together with the health bureau, conducted an unannounced on‑site infection‑control inspection at the clinic, and on August 26 a follow‑up inspection was performed by infection‑control experts. Multiple deficiencies were found as follows:
1. Hand hygiene was not performed before and after patient contact.
2. In the medication preparation area, needle tips were seen left in the rubber stopper of medication vials (including IV sets), and medication was repeatedly taken.
3. No sharps disposal container was observed in the clinic; safety needles were not used, and used needle caps were re‑sheathed with both hands.
4. Pre‑filled syringes were observed in the medication preparation area or non‑treatment areas (under the beds), and pre‑filled normal saline syringes were seen in the medication preparation area with the needle hub exposed, placed in a paper box.
5. Medications, blood specimens, and personal items were all stored in the same refrigerator.
6. Reusable instrument packaging or containers did not have sterilization indicator tape on the outside.
7. Sterilizer maintenance was not performed regularly, and the instrument sterilization procedure was incomplete.
8. The injection area was adjacent to a medical waste bin, posing a contamination risk.
9. Bleach was not used for regular environmental disinfection (only 70% alcohol was used).
Furthermore, during the investigation a broader case search was conducted for all 150 reported acute C hepatitis cases in New Taipei City for 2025–2026, comparing health‑insurance medical records and charts. It was found that another 8 acute C hepatitis cases had a history of injection exposure at the clinic. In total, 11 acute C hepatitis confirmed cases (including the three family members mentioned above) had a history of injection exposure at the clinic: 7 males and 4 females, aged from their 40s to 70s, with onset dates ranging from January 29 to August 18 of this year. Subsequent testing of the 11 cases showed that 9 cases had viral nucleic‑acid sequence similarity of 99.7%–100%, indicating a high degree of homology; the remaining 2 cases, one had no remaining serum and one was PCR‑negative. Based on the epidemiological investigation and genetic sequence analysis, the CDC judges that there is a very high likelihood of a common source of infection, and health authorities will continue investigations to clarify. The CDC noted that, based on the current investigation and on‑site inspection results, the cluster is preliminarily judged to be caused by multiple lapses in infection‑control related to unsafe injection practices. The New Taipei City Government on August 27, pursuant to Articles 32 and 67 of the Communicable Disease Control Act, suspended the clinic’s injection‑related services, and imposed the maximum fine of NT$300,000 under Article 67. On September 1, the same law was used to order the clinic to cease all operations immediately until re‑inspection results are satisfactory.
The CDC pointed out that, given the clinic’s failure to implement appropriate infection‑control measures, there may be other patients who have been infected but not yet identified. After consultation with the CDC and infection‑control experts, the health bureau will expand the retrospective list of individuals who received injections at the clinic starting from July 1, 2025 (the earliest case’s incubation period of six months for acute C hepatitis) and notify them to undergo blood testing at the various health stations in New Taipei City. The testing panel includes HIV, hepatitis B (surface antigen and antibody), hepatitis C (antibody and RNA), liver function (AST, ALT), and syphilis (RPR, TPHA antibody). Those who received injections between April and August of this year will be retested six months later to confirm and rule out related infections; if any test is positive, the health bureau will arrange referral for treatment.
The CDC explained that about 20–30% of patients infected with acute hepatitis C may experience fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, vague abdominal discomfort, nausea, vomiting, or jaundice. If untreated, it may progress to chronic hepatitis C, which can later lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer, and other serious liver diseases. Both acute and chronic hepatitis C now have nationally‑insured oral antiviral treatments with excellent cure rates. People who receive notifications from health authorities should cooperate with testing and follow‑up treatment, and may also proactively call the New Taipei City epidemic‑prevention hotline at 02‑2258‑6923 or 0911‑183‑353 to protect their health and enable health authorities to intervene promptly.
Data source: CDC
Data compiled by: Sensory Management Office
