"We still have some analysis to do," Labus said of the tally, which was up from 86 in July, "but we don't expect the numbers to change much."
District officials say nine cases of the incurable blood-borne liver disease are the result of the unsafe practice of reusing syringes and medicine vials at the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada and the Desert Shadow Endoscopy Center. Both clinics have since been closed.
The other 105 people were diagnosed with the disease since becoming patients at the clinics, but could have contracted the disease in other ways, Labus said.
Health officials say those diagnosed with the disease are receiving treatment. Hepatitis C can cause swelling of the liver, stomach pain, fatigue and jaundice. Even when no symptoms occur, the virus can slowly damage the liver.
While the health district has not attributed any deaths to the outbreak, the widow of one of the clinic's former patients has filed a lawsuit blaming her 60-year-old husband's hepatitis C diagnosis and death in 2006 on unsafe medical practices.
Labus said some 50,000 former Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada patients and 13,000 former Desert Shadow Endoscopy Center patients have been notified to get tested for hepatitis B, C and HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. No cases of hepatitis B or HIV have been linked to the outbreak.
So far, 7,331 people have provided the agency with medical information to help with the investigation, Labus said. He said he hopes to have a final report ready for district administrators by the anniversary of the date the outbreak was detected, Jan. 2.
