Flu provider faces charges

Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2004 | 9:54 a.m.

Employees at more than two dozen Las Vegas-area companies may have received flu shots from an unlicensed provider currently facing criminal prosecution in connection with administering the vaccine in Bellevue, Wash., Clark County health officials said Monday.

Washington prosecutors have charged Shahid Sheikh, 45, with 10 counts of practicing a profession without a license, alleging he administered flu shots to more than 700 people in the Seattle area.

Washington prosecutors also allege Sheikh asked an employee to dilute one vaccine into three doses on at least one occasion and used expired vaccine from 2002 that would not have been effective against this year's virus.

The Washington State Department of Health, which has also charged Sheikh with unprofessional conduct, uncovered the list of Las Vegas-area businesses Sheikh provided vaccine for during its own investigation, Clark County Health District spokeswoman Jennifer Sizemore said.

"Washington (state) thinks he had done the exact same thing here as in Washington state," Sizemore said.

The Health District's epidemiology office is contacting businesses that may have received shots from Sheikh or his MedSources Inc. company to investigate whether the vaccine recipients received at Las Vegas flu clinics was safe.

Sizemore said the Health District is concerned the vaccine provided by Sheikh may have been diluted or even outdated, as prosecutors have found in Washington. This would lessen the effectiveness of the vaccine, Sizemore said, but would probably not harm the individual.

No one in Las Vegas has complained of any adverse reactions from receiving a flu shot from Sheikh, Sizemore said.

"At this time it is unknown how the flu vaccine was administered at clinics sponsored by Sheikh or his company," Dr. Donald Kwalick, chief health officer for the Health District, said.

"As the local public health authority, we feel it is important to uncover as much information as possible about the vaccine that may have been used and the safety practices followed in order to provide better medical recommendations to people who may have received injections from this provider," he said.

The Health District said it will work with local law enforcement if its investigation finds Sheikh, or any of his employees, violated state law. The health district does not have the authority to bring charges itself, Sizemore said.

KLAS Channel 8 was one of the companies Sheikh worked with, News Director Bob Stoldal said in December.

Sheikh contacted Channel 8 and offered to provide a flu shot clinic for employees in October 2002. A registered nurse administered the vaccine, Stoldal said.

Channel 8 asked Sheikh to set up the clinic again in 2003. Operating out of Bellevue, Sheikh referred the news station to a local, licensed medical doctor, Dr. Mahmud Sheikh. The local internist is not related to Shahid Sheikh, Stoldal said.

Sheikh's nonprofit company, MedSources, Inc., operated out of Henderson in the fall of 2002. Sheikh closed the office and moved to Bellevue by early 2003, but he continued to set up flu shot clinics in Las Vegas through this past year.

It is uncertain if Sheikh ever administered shots in Las Vegas or if he only set up the clinics here. In Washington he is charged with administering the shots himself without a license.

Nine of the 10 criminal counts Sheikh faces of practicing medicine without a license are felonies, with a maximum punishment of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine, Dan Donohoe of the King County, Wash., Prosecutor's office said.

Only doctors, physicians assistants, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and pharmacists can administer a vaccination in Nevada. Shahid Sheikh does not hold any of those licenses in this state.

The Health District asks anyone who may have received flu shots from Sheikh to contact the public information line at 385-INFO (4636) and leave a message. The messages will be returned within 24 hours.