A hepatitis C outbreak occurred recently at Exeter Hospital in New Hampshire is now being linked to a hospital employee, as per a new report.

It has been found that a similar strain of the endemic at the hospital has affected a total of 20 people till now, including 19 patients and an employee.

However, some 700 patients have got themselves infected with the virus with some dated back to Oct. 1, 2010.

According to the report, the doctor is being suspected to switch sterile needles with those that are contaminated. Public health officials have been claiming that the practitioner must have been picking up the sterile one, but could have tactfully replaced the same and injected patients with used saline or water-containing syringes.

Hepatitis C can remain in one from one to six months before the development of antibodies and the detection is possible through blood tests. The disease transfers through the blood and causes inflammation in the liver.

Health experts have told that those who were previously tested positive for the virus are undergoing a genetic test. While, those tested negative are being recalled for another test for a confirmation.

It is being said that if the doubts go right, other aspects that lead a doctor to cause a disease outbreak would be found out.