Hepatitis B epidemic breaks out at North Carolina assisted living facility

North Carolina's Division of Public Health recently investigated a hepatitis B outbreak at an assisted living facility in which five patients tested positive for the disease. Further inquiry found that a sixth individual, a man aged 72 years, has become infected with the sexually transmitted disease (STD), WRAL.com reports.

After becoming disorientated several times throughout the week, the resident was taken to a local hospital where he tested positive for hepatitis B.

State officials are currently working with the center's staff to determine the cause of the epidemic. All patients living at the center are being screened for hepatitis B, and residents who are unable to stave off the infection will be vaccinated, the news source reports.

According to a statement released by the facility's representatives, "we have limited blood contact in this facility, with the exception of finger sticks for blood sugar readings." It added that "we are looking into our procedure to [ensure] that cross-contamination [has] not occurred."

An estimated 43,000 new cases of hepatitis B were diagnosed in the U.S. in 2007, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.