NEW YORK, March 9: As many as 40,000 people may have been infected with the deadly hepatitis C virus or HIV from a Las Vegas clinic, owned by Dr Dipak Desai, an Indian American, in what is emerging as one of the biggest malpractice scandals in the US history.

The city of Las Vegas shut down Dr Desai’s Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada after state health officials determined six patients had contracted hepatitis C because of unsafe practices, including clinic staff reusing syringes and vials. State health officials are trying to contact patients who got anaesthesia by injection at the clinic to urge them to get tested for hepatitis C, hepatitis B and HIV.

Nevada State health officials said they weren’t sure how many of the 40,000 patients they had contacted since making the risk public last week. At least initially, they didn’t have correct addresses for 1,400.

Dr Dipak Desai purchased space for an open letter in the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Sunday in which he expressed “my deepest sympathy to all our patients and their families for the fear and uncertainty that naturally arises from this situation.”

Dr Desai said a foundation was being set up to cover testing costs. He also defended practices at his clinic, which performs colonoscopies.

“The evidence does not support that syringes or needles were ever reused from patient to patient at the centre,” he wrote.

Several lawsuits have been filed and a hearing is scheduled this week before a state legislative committee.

It may never be known how many people contracted hepatitis C because of unsafe practices at the endoscopy centre. Brian Labus, head epidemiologist of the Southern Nevada Health District, said that because four per cent of the population had hepatitis C, he expected to get numerous positive results from tests of at-risk clinic patients.