Man may have given flu shots without license

Thursday, Dec. 18, 2003 | 11:11 a.m.

Nevada officials are investigating a Seattle man they believe administered flu shots in Las Vegas without a license, health officials said.

Shahid Sheikh, currently under investigation in a similar case in Seattle, ran a nonprofit organization providing flu shots to businesses in Las Vegas.

It's unclear how many flu shots Sheikh gave and what kind of vaccine he was using.

Only licensed medical doctors, physician's assistants, practical nurses and pharmacists may administer the flu shot injection in Nevada, Clark County Health District spokeswoman Jennifer Sizemore said.

The Nevada Board of Medical Examiners, which licenses doctors and physician assistants, said there was no one under his name licensed. The state Board of Nursing, which licenses nurses, didn't have a listing for him either, nor did the state Board of Pharmacy, which licenses pharmacists.

For the last two years, Sheikh's organization has provided flu shots for KLAS-TV Channel 8 employees, Human Resources Director Andy Henderson said.

Sheikh contacted Channel 8 and offered his services last year, Henderson said. She said the station worked with his organization again this year but that the shots were given by local practitioners. Henderson said she did not immediately know if Sheikh administered any shots or if his employees were licensed.

Allen Ressler, Sheikh's Seattle attorney, had no comment on whether Sheikh ever operated in Las Vegas. He said Sheikh did work through a nonprofit organization in Seattle but said he did not remember the organization's name.

A nonprofit corporation called Med Sources Inc. of Henderson was registered with the secretary of state's office. A "Prof. Shahid H. Sheikh" was listed as president.

Clark County health officials in Nevada said the investigation came up during a state Board of Health meeting this morning. TV station KING-5 in Seattle reported the story of the Washington investigation this week.

The Washington State Department of Health is working with Seattle police to investigate allegations that Sheikh administered flu shots without a license, spokesman Don Moyer said.

Sheikh is a registered counselor in Washington but is not certified to give any type of injection, Moyer said.

"(Sheikh) is not allowed to practice medicine and giving injections is practicing medicine," Moyer said.

Sheikh has not yet been charged with any crime in Washington or Nevada, but Moyer said Sheikh closed down his Med Sources office in Seattle this week.

The Seattle TV report said Sheikh gave the injection to about 800 people in Western Washington. The TV station said Sheikh was charging a rate double than normal in the state.

The report said Sheikh turned over two vials of vaccine to the Department of Health as part of the investigation.

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